In the Genes
by Alec Star
Summary: Could one of Sam's 'dumb ideas' help the Asgard solve their cloning problems? A crossover with Stargate SG1.
1. Chapter 1: And You Call THAT Simple!

**In the Genes**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I don't own the concepts, I make no money, I make no sense and I get no sleep... on the other hand I absolutely love feedback.

**Summary:** Could one of Sam's 'dumb ideas' help the Asgard solve their cloning problems?

**Author's notes**: Okay guys, here's the 'WWW' for this story.

**When**: This story takes place post 'Fragile Balance', though in my world the events between 'Meridian' and 'Homecoming' never happened. It goes AU after that.

**What**: This story will eventually be a crossover, though to say a crossover with what here would be spoilerish (those explanations will be included with chapter 4, though I think you can probably figure it out before chapter 3).

**Warning**: I'm not sure if this requires a warning but --just to be on the safe side-- let's just say that the first two/three chapters are going to be kind of science (or was that pseudo-science?) heavy... and by that I do mean 'Sam talks science with Thor' kind of heavy. I'll try to limit the science-talk after those first chapters are done but I'm afraid at first the science is going to be a necessary evil. Other than that, no real warnings required for this one.

Finally, about the updates: I'm going to **_try_** to update this story on a weekly basis, as I do with my other fics, but I have to admit that with two other series in progress there is a very real possibility that I will end up updating this one every other week instead... at least until 'Birds of a Feather' is done. Sorry but three updates a week would probably be a bit much otherwise (hint: feedback usually encourages me to write faster).

* * *

In the Genes  
Chapter 1: And You Call THAT Simple!  
(Jack's POV)

I can tell that Carter is excited about something as soon as she and Janet walk into the briefing room. In fact --knowing her as I do-- I'd say that, even though it is not really apparent, she is almost bouncing with excitement and that's never a good thing, at least not for me. I don't know what this is about, all I know is that she requested this meeting with me, Janet and the general... and the fact that she **_didn't_** request either Daniel's or Teal'c's presence is enough for me to know that chances are this is **_not_** mission related. The problem is that, if the look on Carter's face is anything to go by, then she's found something. That's great, I have the utmost confidence in her and whatever it is that she's come up with, but at the same time I know I have no choice but to prepare myself to be techno-babbled to death and **_that_** is not something I'm looking forward to.

"Sir, we need to contact the Asgard," she says, almost without preamble.

"Any particular reason, major?" asks General Hammond, in a valiant attempt to take control of this meeting, though somehow I don't think that's going to work... in fact I suspect this is one of those instances in which both the general and I will have to play catch up to Carter's runaway theories.

"Thor's got it wrong, sir," she blurts out, not that **_that_** explains anything.

"What do you mean, Carter? **_What_** did he get wrong?" I ask, hoping for an explanation that actually makes sense.

"Do you remember what he and Loki said about you being the next step in human evolution, about the fact that you have the Ancients' gene, sir?" she asks, turning to me.

"Yes."

"Well, I was thinking and I realized that that doesn't make much sense, not really," she explains. "You see, it's the **_Ancients'_** gene. That means it should be either a gene --or rather a mutation-- that had disappeared from the human genome or a gene that had once been found in a similar looking species. The thing is that the odds of a specific DNA sequence re-evolving to be an exact match of another one, base for base, are basically nil. Take wings, for instance. They are one of the best known examples of parallel evolution. Insects, bats and birds, they all have evolved the ability to fly but they are not related species."

"So?" I ask, still not knowing what she's trying to say.

"So, if you look carefully you'll notice that an insect has two pairs of wings rather than one --not to mention that insects are invertebrates-- and that the differences between a bird's wing and a bat's goes a lot deeper than the presence or absence of feathers. A bird's wing is supported mostly by a modified arm anatomy whereas a bat's relies just as heavily on the hand's anatomy. The point is that while birds and bats' wings fulfill similar functions they have evolved differently and I couldn't really see how nature could have violated some of the most fundamental principles of evolution to cause an exact copy of the Ancients' gene to appear out of nowhere --and all of a sudden-- in your genetic make-up, sir. That's why Janet and I went looking for a different explanation and I think we may have found it."

"What did you find, major?" asks the general, focusing on the only part of that whole explanation that actually makes some sort of sense.

"We suspect that what Thor is looking for is not a new gene at all, sir. I suspect it may have been there all along," she says, toning her enthusiasm down a little as she explains things to the general. "If our theory is correct what we are dealing with here is a fairly rare mutation, so rare that it may well have gone unnoticed in virtually any randomly conducted genetic study, but it's not a new one... and I think we may have found the answer to the Asgard's problems."

"But Thor said that we were still far removed from it!" I exclaim.

"And, as I said, I suspect he was wrong about that, sir," she says, turning to me. "You see, he used **_you_** as a reference of 'how far we've come' and he was operating under the assumption that that gene **_hadn't_** been there all along. You were his only example in terms of the presence of a gene, or rather a mutation, he believed to be either new or previously lost... and while there's no way the gene **_can_** really be recessive in your case, if my suspicions are correct, it can't be fully active either. In a way you could say that you are stuck in a sort of evolutionary limbo. That would explain **_why_** you can use the Ancients' technology to a certain degree but you are not the answer to the Asgard's problem. If our theory is correct it could be said that you have only half the sequence."

"Are you saying that you believe there may be someone out there who has a full sequence, major?" jumps in the general.

"I'm almost positive about that, sir," she says.

"And you've found him?" he asks, sounding hopeful.

"Actually sir, it's not a 'he' we are after. That's the key... that's what told us that Colonel O'Neill **_couldn't_** have more than half the sequence in the first place. It's basic genetics."

"In English, Carter," I say, seeing the confused look on the general's face and knowing that that confusion mirrors my own.

"Well, sir, without going into too much detail --at least not before Thor gets here and confirms that our theory is not entirely outrageous-- if what we've found is correct then the specific gene the Asgard are looking for is to be found within the X chromosome. That would mean that it probably won't fully manifest itself unless the person has **_two_** copies of it," she explains, though I'm still not quite sure of what she means. "In other words, you carry that mutation --that has enabled you to operate the Ancients' technology to a certain extent and you could potentially have a daughter with the gene-- but that gene itself can only fully exist in a woman."

"Great, so how do we track her down?" asks the general.

"I'm not sure we can, sir. I mean, if my estimates are correct there may be two or three hundred girls and women out there who will actually have the gene we are looking for."

"That's great, right?" I say, sounding hopeful, after all, we've suddenly gone from 'none' to 'hundreds'.

"Actually, sir, it's not. When I say two or three hundred I mean that chances are there are literally two or three hundred women out there who **_may_** actually have the mutation we are looking for. The problem is that while that may sound like a fairly sizable number, the truth is that --considering the world's population-- we are still talking one in twenty to thirty million people... one in ten to fifteen million women. Those are our odds and --to make matters worse-- given that what we are looking for is probably an invisible trait because this particular genetic mutation has no real use in our own world, that means that there is no way to screen for certain related features. In other words, our only hope would be to somehow get lucky but even there the odds are anything but good."

"Could I ask how did you come up with that figure of a couple of hundred, major?" asks the general and I cringe dreading the explanation that is to come... honestly, you'd think General Hammond would know better than to ask Carter those questions by now.

"Yes, sir. I admit that that particular figure is iffy at best but it was the most accurate one I could come up with using what little information I had available to me. I'm basing that assumption on the fact that if the gene were to be found in any of the Asgard's own protected colonies they would almost certainly have spotted it by now. That is my basic assumption. That means that this particular mutation has to be rare enough **_not_** to have been accidentally included in the original gene pool of any of those planets, explains Carter before going on.

Now, based on the current demographics of those colonies and on the knowledge that those people were taken from our world thousands of years ago --and assuming that each planet was originally populated by a group of a few hundred individuals-- I can guess what the odds of this specific mutation occurring must be to make it unlikely that it would have been accidentally included in any of those populations. From there on I can make an educated guess in terms of what percentage of the general population here on earth is likely to carry this gene in the first place --and the answer to that would be one in several thousand. From there on things get much easier. Based on that I can easily estimate the likelihood of **_two_** people with that gene producing a child in the first place... and in turn a fourth of those children would have the genetic sequence we are looking for. That's how I came to the figure of one in twenty to thirty million, though I admit that that is a rough estimate at best."

"So, any ideas as to how we could possibly hope to narrow down that humongous haystack?" I ask, assuming that Carter's numbers are correct... and hoping that Thor will set her straight if they are not.

"Not really, sir. I mean, I've considered the possibility of running a search through the armed forces DNA databases --that would seem to be the most logical course of action-- but I don't think that would help."

"Why not, major?" asks the general.

"Two reasons, sir. First because those databases --at least in their current form-- feature only the information that can be used for DNA identification rather than a full genetic profile of each individual and the information we are looking for is not to be found in any of the sequences that are used for that particular purpose. The second reason has to do with the fact that since we are looking for a woman, and women are a small minority within the armed forces to begin with, that means that even if the information **_were_** available in those databases, our chances of finding someone with the DNA sequence we are looking for there would be even lower than in the general population."

"Are there any other options?" I ask.

"Well, sir, I've considered the possibility of resorting to other databases dealing with genetic information, such as the ones that feature potential bone-marrow donors and so on. Such a database would at least have a higher percentage of women in it so that would probably improve the odds, but even though those databases solve one problem --namely the shortage of women-- the other one persists: the information stored in those databases is too specific and it would almost certainly be insufficient for what we need to begin with. Besides, even though those databases have a higher percentage of women, the number of people included would still be too small for us to have a good chance at finding what we are looking for. In other words, sir, I'm afraid I'm stomped here."

"Just one question though, how come Thor missed all of this? I mean, it sounds pretty obvious --in other words I can actually sort of follow what you are saying here-- and compared to what the Asgard know about genetics we are still basically in the dark, aren't we?" I ask.

"Yes, sir, but at the same time this **_wouldn't_** be the first time the Asgard have needed someone with a dumber outlook to point them in a different direction. The same thing happened with the Replicators," she reminds me before going on. "In this particular case I suspect the problem may also have something to do with how the Asgard see the world. You see, sir, they are asexual so for them gender is not really a big issue. That means that they may not have considered the possibility that the Ancients' gene they are so desperately looking for could be gender related... and, to tell you the truth, that may not have always been the case. The Y chromosome..."

"I believe you, Carter," I say before she can even get started on that one, especially because I **_know_** she will go over this whole thing in painful detail once Thor gets here and I'd rather endure the explanation only once. No matter how many times she explains it to me, I suspect this one is still going to be **_way_** over my head.

"Anyway, sir, the point is that it was a pretty big coincidence that someone here at the SGC turned out to have that gene in the first place and you are the only person carrying it that they have encountered so far. If your DNA is the only one in which they have found it, then it wouldn't be unthinkable for them to overlook the fact that the specific mutation they were looking for is gender related and that you are in fact the **_wrong_** gender to begin with. Let's face it, the whole idea that the only person they have encountered so far exhibiting **_some_** of the traits they are looking for is of the wrong gender seems fairly counterintuitive, even though the fact is that --if our theory is correct-- only a **_man_** would exhibit **_some_** traits of that particular gene."

"That doesn't make sense, Carter!" I say.

"As I said, it may sound counterintuitive at first but it's not. From a genetic perspective it actually does make sense," she insists.

I nod at her, pretending to understand, even though I'm not even going to **_try_** to figure that one out. For the time being I think I'll just take her word for it and hope that --with a little luck-- maybe Thor will know what she means.

* * *

**_Author's notes (yes, more of them)_**: Okay, sorry about the fact that this chapter is so science heavy, please bear with me for a little bit longer, I promise the science talk is mostly in the first two/three chapters. Also, my apologies for oversimplifying some concepts, for not making this as accurate as it should have been and for bending the science a little to suit my needs.

I am aware of those irregularities but still I think it's not so bad compared to the show itself (where Sam and the Asgard can't tell the difference between radius and diameter and where an ancient alien device includes constellations that didn't really exist before the XX century).

Alec


	2. Chapter 2: Girl Power

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 2: Girl Power  
(Sam's POV)

Military training or not, I'm almost too nervous to sit still as we wait for Thor to arrive. I think I'm right about this one... at least from where I'm standing the explanation does make sense, but at the same time I can't help but fear that it makes **_too much_** sense, that it is too obvious and the Asgard must certainly have considered this possibility. Still, I'd rather point their attention to it once more rather than dismiss it and run the risk that they **_haven't_** considered it at all.

The thing is that in the weeks since that whole mess with the colonel's clone went down, Janet and I have been working on this. Using the information I managed to pry out of Thor, we've been trying to come up with the means to screen for the elusive Ancients' gene he mentioned as being the key to the Asgard's survival. Unfortunately, while I was able to work with Janet when it came to doing the scientific research, I'm pretty much on my own for this particular meeting. Most of Thor's encounters with humans so far have involved SG-1 in one way or another and that means that I've become a sort of designated spokesperson for this encounter... whether I like it or not.

The problem is that this situation is anything but straightforward and that is something that worries me. This is about a lot more than just the science and I know it. If we are right about this one there are bound to be long term consequences for both humans and Asgard and those consequences could end up taking many different forms... now if only they could be predicted using a mathematical formula.

The truth is that on top of the scientific ramifications of this whole thing there are also other practical matters to consider if we happen to be right here, things I'm not entirely sure how to handle. Science I can understand, but politics? That's definitely not my field but unfortunately handling this **_can't_** be just about science, just as it can't be just about politics... and we don't know enough about how the Asgard are going to react to this to even **_try_** to come up with some sort of strategy beforehand. The Asgard are desperate --we know that much-- and that means that there are going to be other aspects to consider here... and to make matters worse I suspect that the way in which I'm going to have to handle this may well turn out to be the exact opposite of what General Hammond would want me to do.

In the end I am pulled out of my musings by a familiar flash of white light.

"You wished to speak to me?" asks Thor, blinking at the colonel.

"Not me, Carter," explains the colonel before adding. "It seems like she's had one of her dumb ideas."

"What is it?" asks Thor, turning to me, and I'm suddenly feeling even more nervous than before. I know how much is riding on this one. I know the Asgard's survival may well depend on this meeting but at the same time I have to be careful, otherwise I may end up putting us all in danger... and that means I'm going to need to get myself a few answers before I volunteer anything else.

"Thor, do you remember what you told us about the fact that Colonel O'Neill is a significant step forward in terms of human evolution but he still isn't advanced enough to solve your problems, that he still can't sustain an Asgard's intellect?"

"Yes."

"If you could actually find someone who is advanced enough, what would you do?" I ask, dreading his answer no matter what it is.

"There is no such person, Major Carter. Colonel O'Neill may be an important step forward but he is still a long way from what we need if we are to survive."

"I know, but if there were someone advanced enough here on earth, would that person be taken, as Loki took the colonel, or how would the situation be handled?" I insist, knowing that everything depends on Thor's answer to that particular question.

"No, that would not be an option. Ideally we would try to secure that individual's willing cooperation."

"And if that person were to refuse to cooperate?"

"I do not know. That has never been considered because there is no such person, however I can promise that that person would not be harmed no matter what."

"Would you be willing to provide Asgard technology in return for that cooperation if it were to come to that?" I push.

"Some technology, perhaps... and protection for your entire world for sure, however we would draw the line at granting you access to our weapons."

"That's great, believe me, Thor, this is one instance in which we **_definitely_** would be more than willing to go along with that," I say, letting out a relieved sigh, even though I know that that particular answer is **_not_** the one General Hammond and the higher ups were hoping for.

"Am I to understand that you believe you have found such a person, Major Carter?" he asks.

"Not exactly, though if my theory is correct that person may well exist here on earth," I explain.

"But we have been watching you for thousands of years and yet we have never found any evidence that would seem to suggest that your genetic structure has evolved anywhere near that far. In fact up until now Colonel O'Neill is the only example we have found of someone coming even close," he says.

"I know... but I suspect you may have been looking at this from the wrong angle. You see, based on the information you provided us with, Janet and I have managed to isolate the genetic sequence you are looking for and, as far as we can tell, it is part of the X chromosome."

"That is correct," says Thor and I can hardly keep the smile off my face as I realize that my suspicions in that regard were correct, that the Asgard **_haven't_** realized just how relevant that fact is.

"The thing is, Thor, that Colonel O'Neill is a man."

"I am aware of that fact, Major Carter."

"Thor, let me ask you something, would someone with **_two_** copies of that gene be what you are looking for? Would that lead to a full version of the sequence, to someone who **_can_** sustain an Asgard's intellect?"

"Almost certainly, but so far we have not seen any evidence of anything like that, in fact until we came across Colonel O'Neill we had never even expected to find someone who had come as far as he has," he explains.

"In other words, until you came across Colonel O'Neill you hadn't really been looking?"

"That is correct."

"So the sequence could have existed all along without you being aware of it?" I ask.

"Yes, that would be theoretically possible, though we have not really seen any evidence of such a leap forward... not here on earth and not on any of the protected planets," he insists.

"I know, Thor, but the point is that given how limited the gene pool of the protected planets is to begin with, the fact that a rare gene is not to be found on any of them is hardly surprising. If the gene wasn't included in the gene pool of the original population then it could never manifest itself in its descendants... at least not unless it came about as a spontaneous mutation."

"That would be correct."

"Good. Now, Colonel O'Neill is the only person you've found so far with a partial sequence, right?"

"Yes."

"The thing is that, if the gene is associated with the X chromosome and requires **_two_** copies of the mutation in question for it to fully manifest itself, then one basic principle would be that for someone to have that full sequence then that someone would first have to have two X chromosomes and that rules out half the human population, including Colonel O'Neill. Simply put, I think what you are looking for is a woman, not a man," I point out.

"But based on our own history that would be impossible," says Thor, sounding **_almost_** shocked. "In the old days, before cloning replaced biological reproduction among our people, the Asgard too were both male and female and there was no such limitation."

"Yes, but you have to remember that we are different species --even if there are some similarities between our current form and that of the Asgard many thousands of years ago-- not to mention that the human Y chromosome is only a fraction of the size of its X counterpart. The fact is that the Y chromosome has far fewer genes in it than the X chromosome and is apparently shrinking. In other words, it is not unthinkable that something that has been **_lost_** from the human Y chromosome could possibly have survived in the X chromosome. In fact something like that would be consistent with what you've found in Colonel O'Neill," I say before going on.

"That could also explain why he displays some of the traits you are looking for: if the Y counterpart for the X version of the gene has disappeared, then the result would be that in a man there would be no other chromosome in place to either enhance the Ancients' gene and bring it fully on-line or to drown it out, as the case might be. That would mean that a **_partial_** sequence would manifest itself in a man but not in a woman because in a woman a single copy of that gene would basically be drowned out by the one provided by the **_second_** X chromosome. In a woman a single copy of the Ancients' gene would simply be recessive."

"So you are saying that a man with a single copy of this gene would exhibit the ability to use the Ancients' technology but a woman would not, yet a woman with **_two_** copies of the gene would be a solution to our problems?" asks Thor and I can see that he is considering things.

"Sort of. I mean, I'm not sure this even makes sense but..." I trail off.

"It does. It is certainly different from the way in which our scientists have approached the problem but it does make sense. Please continue, Major Carter," he encourages me.

"Good, the thing is that the absence of the Ancients' gene from the Y chromosome may still be a bit of a problem when it comes to the Asgard's long term survival," I warn him.

"Because it would be impossible for us to develop a viable population with nothing but females?" he asks.

"Exactly," I agree. "Even if you were to have a man who carries one copy of the gene and a woman who has two as the basis for a new Asgard population, you would still have a situation in which every woman would have two copies of the gene and every man would have one. Unfortunately the leap to a man with **_two_** copies --a man with a full version of the gene-- would remain an impossibility."

"But if we could get a viable sample from which to create a new generation of bodies for ourselves, a generation that is free of the defects that have crept into the lines we have been using for thousands of years, then that would not really be a problem," says Thor. "We are well aware of the fact that our current technology could eventually lead to a situation similar to the one we are now facing and that should make it possible for us to take the necessary steps to prevent it, so the absence of males would not really be such a relevant issue. Besides our cloning technology may well come up with a solution long before the problem reappears... if it ever does. If we were to be granted a fresh start with new genetic material, even if we were unable to reproduce, that would not necessarily be the case," he explains before going on.

"Our current situation came about because we did not even realize we had a problem until it was too late. We did not realize that our cloning technology was having a negative impact on our genetic material until all our uncorrupted lines had been lost and we had no means to undo the damage that had already been done. That is **_not_** a mistake we would make again. You see, at first our attitude toward our original samples was very casual. That is where the problem stems from. We recklessly discarded the original material, confident that a new body could be developed just as effectively from the clone as from the original, now we know better. If we were to be granted a second chance we would treat the new samples like the precious treasure we now know them to be. Besides, as long as the genetic sequence we are looking for exists here in your world we should hopefully be able to renew that basic genetic material every thousand years or so if we see any signs at all that the problem is reemerging. Sexual reproduction was never our ultimate goal, not really."

"Of course, the problem now becomes one of **_finding_** someone with the appropriate mutation... and that probably won't be easy," I remind him.

"No, it will not be easy," he admits, "but at least it should be feasible. Thank you, Major Carter, you may well have just saved the Asgard... again."

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: Wow, thanks for the reviews guys, they are deeply appreciated, especially considering how the site was acting up last week!

Also, I just thought I might mention that there's **_no_** "Atlantis" in this universe. Remember that this disregards the sixth season of the show and then goes entirely AU after "Fragile Balance" (in other words it goes AU toward the end of season five, picks up canon for a moment in early season seven and off it goes again). That is also one of the main reasons why I refer to the gene as 'the Ancients' gene' rather than the ATA gene.

Now for some good news, the science lesson is mostly **_OVER_**!

Alec


	3. Chapter 3: Who's That Girl?

**_For notes warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 3: Who's That Girl?  
(Hammond's POV)

"Major Carter, care to explain to me why you all but asked Thor **_not _**to provide us with military technology in exchange for our help?" I ask --desperately trying to rein in my temper-- after Thor disappears and I excuse both Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Fraiser.

"Yes, sir, the answer is fairly simple: while I may have identified the problem here the fact is that our existing databases are not likely to enable us to identify someone who actually has the specific genetic sequence the Asgard are looking for. That means that Thor has a far better shot at finding what he is looking for than we do," she says.

"So?" I insist.

"Well, sir, the way I see it, Thor is likely to conduct a worldwide search and that means there's a 95 percent chance that the one he finds **_won't_** be an American, in fact there's a 20 percent chance she will be Chinese. That is the most likely scenario," she explains. "I couldn't ask in front of him but I assumed that chances were you didn't want us to take a chance on other countries, or maybe even a hostile country, getting their hands on Asgard weapons. I figured that should be our top priority, even if it was at the expense of our own ability to negotiate a similar deal if we were to get lucky... especially because the odds were so heavily against us, sir."

"I see," I say, realizing that she has a point and feeling more than a little grateful that she actually considered it... especially because I wouldn't have had. If I had been in her position I would have gone along with what the government would have expected me to do under the circumstances and that could easily have turned out to be a fatal mistake.

"In addition to that there's the fact that if Thor succeeds chances are that we will already find a lot of our own secrets exposed and that is something we may want to keep in mind. If we are lucky he will locate an individual and that will be the extent of the damage. If we are lucky he will locate a woman and this situation won't go beyond that one person... but I don't think we should count on it staying at that. I think we should prepare for the possibility of having to deal with a worst case scenario here: a situation in which a foreign government may learn of what we do," she warns me.

"In other words, you are saying that by helping the Asgard we may just have digged ourselves into one heck of a hole and you were trying to do some damage control, though we better get ready to deal with the fallout of a full-blown revelation?" I ask, not liking the possible consequences of that but knowing enough to realize that they may well turn out to be unavoidable.

"Yes, sir."

"So, any ideas as to how we can dig ourselves out of this mess?" I ask.

"Not really, sir. Ideally we should try to find a woman in the US with the necessary clearance and the appropriate DNA sequence but the odds against her even existing are astronomical... and even if she does, we have no real way of tracking her down. I'll do my best but I wouldn't hold my breath here," she warns me... and I know that when Major Carter describes the odds against something as being 'astronomical' she is **_not_** guessing.

"See what you can do, major... and do **_everything_** in your power to find her," I say, knowing that she'll understand.

"Sir?" she all but yelps.

"You've got your orders, major," I confirm.

"Yes, sir," she says before making her way out of the briefing room.

* * *

I'm sitting in front of my desk going over a mountain of tedious requests that must be signed and approved before the end of the month when I hear a knock on my door. Relieved by the reprieve I say 'enter' and hope that this time around the interruption is **_not_** about an 'end of the world' crisis. 

"I think I may have found her, sir," says Major Carter, sounding more than a little excited, though I can also detect a touch of apprehension in her voice.

"**_Who_** did you find, major?" I ask, not really knowing what she's talking about.

"The woman Thor is looking for, I think I may have found her, sir," she explains, reminding me of our conversation last week in the aftermath of the Asgard's departure.

"You have? But I thought you said you had no way of tracking her down!" I exclaim, not quite believing my ears. Just last week she was telling me that finding that woman was almost certainly going to turn out to be impossible.

"I didn't, but we just got incredibly lucky... maybe," she says before sobering up a bit.

"What do you mean, 'maybe', major? Have you or haven't you found her?" I ask.

"I have a lead but I haven't exactly found her just yet, sir" she explains before going on. "As to whether or not we just got lucky, well, that will probably depend to a large extent on how she feels about the military. I guess the one bit of bad news is that, going by the files I've been able to uncover so far, chances are that the answer to that particular question is going to be 'pretty distrustful' in the best of cases. She would have plenty of reasons to be."

"What do you mean, major?" I ask --again-- still feeling like I'm only been presented with half the picture.

"Well, sir, when you told me to see what I could find I decided to go through some government files that I felt might hold some promise. I wasn't particularly optimistic but I focused mostly on those projects that could possibly include a full genetic profile of an individual woman. The thing is that --given that there was only a handful of projects meeting those requirements to begin with-- I figured that even if my chances were only one in several hundred thousands, I really had nothing to lose. The way I saw it going through those projects was worth a shot because even if the search didn't yield any positive results it still wouldn't take **_too_** long to complete," she explains and I nod for her to continue... even though I'm not sure I'm following her.

"Anyway," she goes on, "I knew I had to start somewhere and those projects seemed to be my best bet... even if the odds were anything but favorable. The way I saw it, even though chances were that the needle wouldn't be found in that particular haystack, the haystack itself was small enough to make it worth searching. As I was conducting that research I ran into some files from a highly classified project dating back to a couple of years ago. The whole thing was NID at its worst and it blew up on the NID's faces... literally. They sustained some pretty heavy casualties and after that everything pertaining to that project was supposed to have been destroyed in one massive cover-up."

"If it was supposed to have been destroyed how did you manage to find it, major? Or is this one of those instances in which the less I know, the better?" I ask, knowing what her tacit orders were. 'Do **_everything_** in your power to find her', that's what I told her... and I know just how lethal Major Carter can be when she's let loose on a computer.

"Don't worry, sir, technically the files weren't classified... they probably should have been, but they weren't," she says, trying to reassure me.

"Care to explain that one, major?"

"Yes, sir. It turns out that the woman in charge of that project --a woman who was killed before things got completely out of control-- had gone rogue even by the NID's standards," she explains. "Because of that, **_some_** of the information she had managed to gather actually survived the purge. Simply put, those files survived because the ones in charge of the cover-up never knew they existed. That is also the reason why the files **_weren't_** technically considered classified. They may have been a serious security violation on her part but they were her unofficial **_private_** files. Anyway, sir --from what I've been able to find-- it seems like that project, which was intended to develop some sort of super-soldier, came across a young woman --a college freshman who was in her late teens at the time but should be in her early twenties by now-- displaying supernatural strength. The girl in question was remarkable enough that the head of the project had a full genetic profile of her done without her consent. I've been going over those files and the results are conclusive. She undoubtedly has the Ancients' gene, sir, two copies of it."

"That's great, major. Good job," I say.

"It gets even better, sir," she says with a smile.

"Better?"

"Yes, sir. Before things went south, this girl was given security clearance to access their base --a clearance that was high enough for her to be told about the stargate without raising any eyebrows-- and, once all official records concerning that project had been eliminated, that clearance basically fell through the cracks. No one ever got around to revoking it so she is everything we had hoped we could find and more... or she will be if we can get her to trust us, that is. The only problem is that, going by the files I've found, I must warn you that that probably **_won't_** be easy. I haven't been able to find any detailed information on what that project was about, on how they intended to create a super-soldier in the first place or exactly **_what_** caused those heavy casualties --remember that I'm only working from a handful of files that **_shouldn't_** have survived a pretty massive purge, sir-- but if the few hints I've come across are anything to go by, then this girl has been burned and burned badly by the military before," she warns me.

"How badly are we talking about here?" I ask, thinking back to what she said about the project. Somehow things like 'rogue by NID standards' don't set my mind at ease... especially because I never thought such a thing was possible... I never thought the NID **_had_** standards they could sink below. What could the woman in charge of that particular project possibly have been up to? I'm not sure I want to know, but I'm afraid I'm going to find out. Also, what does Major Carter mean when she says that they were trying to **_develop_** a super-soldier? Develop how? And, more importantly, how is this whole mess likely to have impacted the young woman who up until now sounds like the answer to our prayers? I shake my head and turn my attention back to Major Carter, hoping that she will be able to provide me with some additional answers.

"Well, sir, as I said, I don't have any specific details because of the fragmentary nature of the information I've been able to find so I can't be absolutely sure of just what it is that we are dealing with here. It's as if someone had tried to cover up the existence of the SGC by shredding every single bit of evidence they could find but a mission report had somehow managed to survive. Someone reading that report would be able to gleam some information about what we do here but the picture such a file would paint would be incomplete to say the least. In a way what we are dealing with here is a similar scenario."

"I understand that, major, but I still need to know where we stand here," I insist.

"Yes, sir. The thing is that I'm not familiar with the details of what she's been through but --considering that the information I've been able to find stems from an unauthorized genetic profile that was done on her-- I think it is possible to make an educated guess. That a genetic profile could have done without her consent is serious enough and a clear indication of the kind of situation we are likely to be dealing with here. In addition to that, I've also come across some references to a series of experiments that were being conducted on a group of soldiers without their consent as part of the same project. In other words this is likely to be one of those 'as bad as it gets' kind of scenarios, so --if my suspicions are correct-- she is going to have plenty of reasons to be wary of us. That means that if and when we approach her we are going to have to be very careful. We will get one shot at convincing her to help us and one shot only... if we get even that much."

"I see. Thanks for the warning, major, though I have to ask, do this project and this girl have names?" I ask, still wondering how to approach this. I really need more information before I can make a decision here... unfortunately information is the one thing we apparently **_don't_** have.

"Yes sir. The project was code named 'The Initiative' and the girl's name was Buffy Summers. Unfortunately I don't have a current address but tracking her down shouldn't be too difficult. Do you want me to get started on that?"

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: Hi guys, thanks for the reviews, glad to hear you are still enjoying this, also the ones who guessed that the crossover was with _Buffy_ obviously got it right. 

As for the timeline of this thing Buffy-wise, this is post-Chosen and sticks close to canon up until about five minutes before the end (in other words, thereís a slight deviation on a matter of principle). It also takes place in the same universe as one of my short fics called ëCassieí (story id: 1861171, word count: 2325), you may want to read it as it will make the next chapter make a bit more sense.

Now for the good news: things are about to start moving now!

Alec


	4. Chapter 4: A Balancing Act

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

**_Additional warning/notes_**: Okay, I know some of you weren't particularly pleased to discover that this is a _Buffy_ crossover, though I did warn you that it was going to be a crossover from the very beginning. Also, to add insult to injury, this chapter is pretty Buffy-centric, I promise that it is an exception in that regard and things will become more balanced in the future.

Any deviations from Buffy-canon are explained in my fic 'Cassie'.

* * *

Chapter 4: A Balancing Act  
(Willow's POV) 

Okay, I've got to say that this is **_not_** good. Someone's been trying to track us down, someone connected with the military and --to make matters worse-- whoever it is, is good... perhaps maybe even a little **_too_** good. In other words, whoever it is, he or she is so good that I'm not entirely sure they are using nothing but **_human_** means... and coming from the military that can only spell trouble, though luckily chances are it doesn't really spell so much trouble that a little spell can't fix it.

The problem is that I'm not sure what I should do next. Even though handling this particular situation wouldn't really be all that difficult, the fact remains that I'm not sure whether or not I should take that chance because doing that would cause me to have to tip my own hand and right now I'm not sure that's a risk we can afford to take.

The truth is that even though I know there is a military connection here, up until now the ones tracking us down haven't made any openly hostile moves and in a really weird way **_that's_** the problem, that's what's causing me to hesitate. If they had made any hostile moves at all sorting this one out would be so much easier. The thing is that while under normal circumstances I would favor a wait and see approach to the whole thing, these are **_not_** 'normal circumstances' and that's what's making me so nervous.

Right now we are vulnerable, very, **_very_** vulnerable and that means we have to be extra careful... now if only I could figure out what the smart way to be careful here is supposed to be. The way things stand I could easily force a confrontation but I'm all too aware that I can't do that without revealing that I am on to them... and --if they are as good as they seem to be-- that is bound to raise **_way_** too many questions.

Right now we are more than a little exposed and we all know it. We are currently responsible for the well-being of a couple of dozen girls and we just lost everything we had when Sunnydale turned into a giant sinkhole a couple of months ago. That means we are trying to collect and support the newly activated slayers on a nonexistent budget while Giles struggles to sort out the mess that is the Council and tries to get control of its assets. And, as if that weren't enough, we are also sitting on top of a baby hellmouth that we have to baby-sit. I guess the good news is that, compared to Sunnydale, Cleveland barely registers as a blip on the creep-o-meter.

As for me, I have other things to worry about, like trying to come to terms with the latest curvaceous curve the powers threw my way, though at least this time around that curve was something good... very good.

I still remember the shock we got when Tara turned up on our doorstep one morning, a few days after Sunnydale's demise... and the chaos that followed. Even though at the time I already suspected that she had somehow managed to survive Warren's attack, I hadn't dared mention that theory to any of the others so she ended up finding herself uncomfortably close to the business end of half a dozen stakes... not that **_that_** was particularly surprising considering our history. Luckily she's not holding that incident against us, in fact she was more than willing to laugh the whole thing off... and maybe she was right about that. I mean, come to think of it, the whole situation was kind of funny... either that or we have a really twisted sense of humor.

The thing is that at first we weren't sure whether she was a vampire (though the fact that she was standing there in broad daylight seemed to indicate she wasn't, not to mentioned the fact that she had been shot, not drained or turned) or if maybe the First had come back (though the fact that she was hugging me with everything she had meant that she most definitely **_wasn't_** non-corporeal). Of course, I have to say that even after all these years of fighting things that go bump in the night --and in spite of the fact that I think I have about as many non-human friends as I do human ones-- the whole concept of Immortals is still going to take some getting used to.

I still remember how only a couple of years ago I was certain that Tara and I were meant to grow old together --or rather not grow old together, considering what life expectancy in Sunnydale really was-- then I was forced to come to terms with the notion that Tara was gone and now, now I just don't know what to make out of any of this. Tara is still human but at the same time she is not, she's something else... and that means that chances are someday she will lose **_me_**. I know it sounds kind of self-important but I really wish I could spare her the hell I went through when she was gone.

'Gone', now **_that's_** a pretty euphemism. She was dead and buried, or at least so I thought. In fact shortly after she came back --once I'd had the time to think about what had happened-- I got mad, _really_, **_really_** mad. The way I saw it, I had been grieving for a year while she had been living elsewhere, she had allowed me to think she was dead and that hurt... a lot. I felt betrayed until she explained to me that her mentor had deliberately kept her from me... and then she told me the reasons **_why_** she had been kept away in the first place. That Tara now carries a sword is something I'm still trying to come to terms with; that Warren's life was the price we had to pay to save the world is something I seriously doubt I'll **_ever_** be able to accept.

Still amidst all this chaos the good news --as if Tara's return weren't enough-- is that now I am finally free to use my powers to their full extent without fear, without feeling the lure of the dark magic that once filled me and that has opened up a whole world of possibilities for me... though I do know better than to rely too heavily on my magic.

The fact is that one of the things I discovered upon Tara's return is that I had kind of confused two separate problems: my addiction to magic and my loss of control over my own powers. I guess in a way it was an easy enough mistake to make, especially seeing how both problems were intimately intertwined, but the fact is that they were always two very different issues.

Yes, my magic addiction was my fault but my little trip through the dark side of the force wasn't just about that... and --note to self-- making references to Star Wars when talking to yourself is a clear sign that you've been spending **_way_** too much time with Andrew.

The thing is that the whole sorry story of my magic troubles is something that neither Tara nor I ever knew how to deal with... in fact we got it all wrong. Yes, it is true that I was addicted to magic --and that's the problem the coven helped me overcome-- but in a way it was Tara's original decision to leave me when that addiction first became apparent that turned it into something darker. I'm not blaming her, I know in the end it was my addiction and therefore it was my fault, but the fact is that from the moment we met she became my anchor and when she left me I found myself adrift... at least until we could work out our differences.

Well, at least that's the way it was supposed to have gone.

We were going to work out our differences but then Warren... and that's also what almost sealed the world's fate. When Tara died I lost both my anchor and my desire to control my addiction and that's what brought me so close to destroying the world: the fact that when I lost Tara I lost my center.

When Warren shot her, two parts of a whole were parted and that left me unbalanced. **_That's_** what pushed me over the edge in the first place. It wasn't just that I was addicted to magic --though I was-- that was just the last straw. The real source of the problem, the one the coven **_couldn't_** help me overcome, was something far more primal than that. In the end it was a simple matter of yin without yang, but now that Tara is back that balance has finally been restored.

Of course, the fact that the balance has been restored doesn't really mean my life is all rainbows and puppies, I have plenty of things I have to worry about, things that won't just go away because Tara is back or because I've finally managed to control my magic. In fact we have a whole list of things we have to deal with **_somehow_** and the list is kind of daunting. I mean, just thinking about it is enough to give me a major headache. Right now some of our top concerns are:

-Having to deal with dozens of baby slayers who don't have the first clue when it comes to controlling their own strength and who keep breaking everything they touch... and I do mean **_everything_**.  
-We are broke and that means we can't afford to replace the stuff the baby slayers keep breaking.  
-We have a baby hellmouth to baby-sit.  
-We are trying to recreate a now defunct Council that is supposed to be the first, last and only line of defense against the forces of darkness.  
-We are broke and lack the means to rebuild said Council, at least until we can get control of the old Council's assets.  
-In order to gain control of the old Council's assets we would need at least one lawyer, lawyers cost money but given that we are flat out broke we don't have any money to begin with and that means we can't hire a lawyer or get control of the old Council's assets (sometimes I really do miss Anya).  
-Did I mention that we are broke?  
-The fact that Sunnydale turned into a giant sinkhole leaving us essentially homeless and with nothing to our name other than the clothes on our backs, literally... and those clothes were not really in the best of shapes to begin with, not after our confrontation with the First.  
-My formerly dead lover has just come back into my life (and the fact that that doesn't even sound particularly weird definitely says something about my life).

That list is not exhaustive, not by a long shot, that list is just off the top of my head... and on top of all that, we must now also add unwanted military attention to the mix. Can I say that the timing of this latest twist sucks? Of course, come to think of it, I doubt there would have been a good time for something like this to come up so I guess we are just going to have to deal.

I know it was probably too much for us to hope that after what happened with the Initiative no one would look into us in the aftermath of Sunnydale's destruction --after all I'm pretty sure that the government has some rather colorful files on us-- but still, a lucky break would have been welcome here. We really are in no shape to take down the Initiative Take Two... of course, maybe having to take down the Initiative Take Two would give the baby slayers something to break --something we **_wouldn't_** have to replace-- and that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. In fact, now that I think about it, that idea has potential.

Well, I guess the only thing that's left for me to do is to turn the tables on whoever happens to be trying to track us down, to do some snooping on our would-be snoopers, to figure out exactly what it is that we are up against this time around and hope that we will land on our feet.

I know that as far as plans go this is not one of the best and brightest but right now we are too vulnerable and we really can't afford any military shaped surprises. The first part of my plan is going to be the easiest one, tracking our trackers down geographically. They may be bouncing around a number of servers and satellites --trying to cover their tracks-- but the fact remains that, even if backtracking their steps is kind of tedious, that's the part that's bound to be out in the open because there's no way it can be done entirely over secure networks or without leaving a trail... it's the narrowing down after I've pinpointed them that's going to be trickier.

I set out to work on that and it is as I complete that first step of the process, after I find my starting point that I realize that there's something that doesn't quite add up here. I know now **_where_** the surprise is likely to be coming from in the first place, the problem is that that point doesn't make much sense at all. I've managed to trace the search back to Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the truth is that that's not something I would have expected.

The Initiative was Army related, Colorado Springs would seem to suggest that this time around the Air Force is involved somehow and that in turn **_does_** represent an unexpected twist.

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: Hi guys, okay a couple of things, first of all thanks for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it even though quite a few of you weren't happy with me (and yes, that's a hint for you to hit that review button).

Now for some general info concerning this week's updates. While I try to be consistent and update weekly I've decided to make an exception this week. This is how I'm going to handle it:  
-'In the Genes' has been updated when expected.   
-'Birds of a Feather' will be updated one day later than usual (late Monday or early Tuesday as opposed to late Sunday or early Monday).  
-'Under Alien Skies- Propagation' will be delayed a whole week for the sake of those who are away from their computers due to the holiday.

Okay that's it for now, have a nice weekend and please review!

Alec


	5. Chapter 5: Hacker vs Hacker

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 5: Hacker vs Hacker  
(Alternating POVs, Sam and Willow)

I am growing increasingly frustrated here, though I have to say that --as bad as things are-- they could easily have turned out to be much worse. Yes, tracking one Buffy Summers down has turned out to be far more difficult than I could possibly have anticipated but at least I know she's alive... and, considering what happened to Sunnydale less than two months ago, that is definitely good news.

The problem is that right now I have too many things vying for attention --too many factors I'm trying to keep track of-- and I really don't know what's relevant and what should be dismissed as background noise here. What is undeniable is that the information I have been able to find concerning Sunnydale is more than a little disturbing and it is not something that can be easily explained.

Yes, my top priority is tracking Buffy down but she is a former resident of Sunnydale and that means I can't ignore what happened to that town... especially because I don't really know what happened to that town. What I do know is that the idea that a whole town could be mysteriously swallowed by a giant sinkhole makes no sense at all... and that's just one thing that doesn't make any sense at all in a long list of things that don't make any sense at all.

Even before Sunnydale was destroyed --if the data I've been able to find concerning the town is anything to go by-- the evidence would seem to suggest that there was something very strange going on there. In other words, there are just too many 'coincidences' around Buffy Summers for comfort, so many that I'm beginning to suspect they are not coincidences at all, so many that I'm beginning to suspect that they are in fact pieces of a much larger puzzle... now if only I knew how to put those pieces together then maybe **_some_** of this would start to make some sort of sense.

The fact is that --even though going by all outward appearances Sunnydale would seem to have been an idyllic, quaint, little town-- a closer look reveals a rather disturbing dark side: the number of death certificates that were issued on an average week seems to be consistent with what one would have expected to find in a city more than ten times its size. I haven't been able to find anything to explain that death rate and--to make matters worse-- a very high percentage of those deaths would seem to have been unexplained violent deaths that were routinely blamed on the most ridiculous explanations, explanations that apparently were never really challenged.

The numbers are staggering and yet there was no public outcry or national attention drawn to the problem... in fact --for all the violent deaths that were routinely reported-- the number of arrests that seem to have been made on an average week was way **_below_** average for a town that size and almost **_none_** of those arrested seem to have ever been charged with a violent crime. That is disturbing and is one of the many things I've been unable to explain in a satisfactory --or even unsatisfactory-- fashion.

At first I considered the possibility that the town's death rate could somehow be related to whatever it was that the NID was up to --a fact that could have explained a possible cover-up-- but it didn't take me long to rule out that hypothesis.

The fact is that the town's death rate predated the NID's arrival by at least a couple of years and it remained virtually unchanged after its departure so I think it's safe to say that the NID **_wasn't_** the cause... besides, the NID usually does a much better job of covering its tracks.

That means that I have to find a different explanation and that's something that's been hard to come by, though I have to say that if there was something strange going on in that town in the first place then maybe that could serve to explain why Sunnydale was chosen by the NID to begin with. After all, **_without_** such an explanation Sunnydale would have seemed to be a very strange base of operations for the NID. Let's face it, a quaint, suburban town in southern California is not a place they would have been likely to set up shop in unless they had a very good reason to do so. As far as locations go, such a place would just be too vulnerable, too visible, too difficult to contain and control and they must have known that.

That brings me back to the question of what really happened there. That's one of the things that have been nagging me, that and is there a connection between the town's fate and one of the town's former residents who just happens to have the Ancient's gene?

I know it sounds crazy but I can't stop thinking about it because, after all, what are the chances that a girl who just **_happens_** to have a genetic sequence that is to be found in one out of twenty to thirty million people would just **_happen_** to live in a town with such an unusual history? What are the chances that she would just happen to live in the town that was chosen by the NID as a base of operations, a town that was unexplainably destroyed? And, if there were no connection between one Buffy Summers and Sunnydale's demise, why would someone go to such great lengths to ensure that finding her is **_not_** an easy task?

I know that at first glance the idea that there could have been a connection makes no sense at all --I know that the idea that a twenty-two year-old girl could somehow have been responsible for a town's demise seems utterly absurd-- but the odds against her presence in that town being a mere coincidence are just too staggering to contemplate.

I guess the funny thing is that, if it **_weren't_** for the difficulties I've encountered in trying to track her down, I probably never would have realized just how **_unusual_** Sunnydale really was. If nothing had interfered with my attempts to track her down I would probably have found an address within a matter of minutes, instead it's taken me almost a week to come up with even a general location, though at last I've managed to do just that.

I've managed to track Buffy down to the Cleveland area and that is something, though I am yet to come up with an address --either permanent or temporary-- and that in itself is more than a little disturbing. The information I'm looking for should be readily available through at least half a dozen government databases, most of them easily accessible, and yet I can't find anything. That is unusual, especially because as far as I know the government has no real reason to make it this difficult for me to find her... not to mention that making someone virtually untraceable is **_not_** the government's MO.

Simply put, if the ones covering for her were government related, then setting her up with a new identity would have been a more traditional course of action --not to mention that it would have been a whole lot easier-- but that's clearly **_not_** what we have here.

What we have here would seem to suggest that someone else --someone not connected with the government-- went out of his or her way to make sure that Buffy Summers remained in the system but at the same time set things up in such a way that made it all but impossible for me to **_use_** that same system to find her.

Of course, I also know that it may well be that I'm reading a little too much into this situation. Yes, there's something strange going on here --that much is obvious-- but **_maybe_** there is a more ordinary explanation for the difficulties I'm currently encountering, after all --given what happened to Sunnydale-- maybe it is only natural that finding one of its residents should be this difficult.

The fact that Buffy Summers is a former resident of Sunnydale means that she has recently relocated out of necessity and as a result she may not even have a permanent address for the time being. It is true that, in spite of that fact, I should have been able to trace her even to a hotel but if she's staying with someone else her name may simply not be included in any of the databases that are available to me. That would seem to be a fairly logical explanation --easy and rational-- but in spite of that I can't help but feel that it is an explanation that doesn't really add up, not with the difficulties I've encountered when trying to access her past record.

No matter how I look at it, the fact remains that there's **_something_** about the obstacles I've been facing that would seem to point to something deeper, something that seems to defy all easy and rational explanations... now if only I could figure out what that something is.

* * *

Okay, this is not getting better... it's just getting weirder. I don't know who's been snooping into Buffy's records but I'm pretty sure that whoever it is, it is **_not_** someone connected to the Initiative and --oddly enough-- that is **_not_** of the good. Simply put, the way in which they are going about this whole thing makes absolutely no sense from the Initiative's perspective, or from the perspective of someone who has access to the Initiative's files for that matter.

I mean, the one thing that has become clear out of their search pattern is that --whoever it is-- it seems to be someone who is starting almost from scratch, someone who is looking for answers someone connected to the Initiative would already have.

If the ones looking into Buffy's background were connected to the Initiative they would already know that she dropped out of college and --more importantly-- their search for Buffy probably wouldn't be as focused on **_Buffy_** as it's been up until now. That is pretty telling because so far every single file that has been accessed has been hers. They have been pretty thorough in that regard but at the same time they **_haven't_** tried to access a single file concerning anyone **_but_** Buffy and that is what's really interesting here.

Even though they seem to have gone through every single Buffy-related file they could get their hands on, they haven't even come close to any of my files, or Xander's, or Giles, or even Dawn's, in spite of the fact that Buffy is her legal guardian. That neglect of everyone else's files is what first led me to suspect that we were dealing with someone who is **_not_** related to the Initiative.

The way I see it, anyone connected to them would know to look into those files, they would know of our connection to Buffy and they would know that looking for the rest of the gang would be a good way to try to track her down, and I have no doubt that they are **_trying_** to track her down. Of course, the fact that I know that they are trying to track her down doesn't mean I have any intention of allowing them to succeed, not unless I can get myself some answers first, and getting myself those answers has just become my top priority.

I may not know much about the person looking into Buffy but I know that we have picked up a naughty military snoop somewhere along the line and that that snoop is more likely to be attached to the Air Force than to the Army. I also know that that snoop is aware of who Buffy is but seems to be totally oblivious to the rest of us and finally I know that it's a good snoop --at least in terms of knowing what he or she is doing-- though the fact that I know it's a good snoop doesn't mean I can't vouch for their intentions. In other words, I have to be very careful here because I'm dealing with someone with whom getting sloppy could get me caught and getting caught is **_not_** something I'm looking forward to.

What can I say? After the whole Initiative fiasco, military attention is something we are all more than a little wary of.

Of course, whether we want it or not, we seem to have it already and that is bugging me more than a little.

I mean, I guess the idea that the military would want to keep tabs on us is not entirely unexpected --especially **_not _**in the aftermath of Sunnydale turning into a giant crater-- but the mysterious source is a bit of a problem. I would have known what to expect out of someone connected to the Initiative --I would have known that what I could expect would have been nothing good-- but right now I get the funny feeling that we are in uncharted territory and that's even less fun.

I don't know what we are dealing with here but what I do know is that, seeing how they are both good and persistent, I'm going to have no choice but to take the initiative here --no pun intended-- and do some table turning. I need to figure out who's looking into Buffy and why. I need to know what we are up against and if **_they_** represent a threat... and that means that the gloves are going to have to come off. The way things stand I have no choice but to go after them with everything I've got, the problem is that **_that_** is going to be kind of risky because it may leave me more than a little exposed.

Sure, I'm not completely in the dark here, but that doesn't mean I have a clear picture either. I know where the search is coming from because almost as soon as I noticed that someone was trying to do some snooping on Buffy I managed to track that someone down to Colorado Springs, but the thing is that once I reached that level I was reluctant to take it any further than that because it would have been too dangerous.

Unfortunately it's beginning to look like playing it safe is no longer an option. The problem is that their system is **_way_** too secure for me to break into it without using magic and I'm afraid that using magic will lead to too many questions if we ever have to come face to face with whoever happens to be doing the snooping on us. That's why I had originally decided to track them through their access to our own files rather than to try to break into their network but, the way things are shaping up right now, that's obviously **_not_** going to be enough. They are too persistent, they are too good and they are closing in on us so I'm going to have no choice but to take some risks here and close in on them instead.

I mean, seeing how they seem to be determined to be annoyingly persistent I guess I'm going to have to get persistent on them. I can do it, that's not the problem, but I can pretty much guarantee that they are **_not_** going to like it and the military is seriously lacking a sense of humor.

* * *

I'm staring at the screen in front of me, not quite believing what I'm seeing. Someone's managed to breach our systems and I know for a fact that **_that_** simply **_shouldn't_** have been possible. The encryption we are using here at the mountain is way above cutting edge. I should know, I helped create the encryption algorithm myself and --knowing the kind of secrets we keep here-- I made sure it was several times more secure than what most secure networks here on earth use. At the time I thought it was kind of overkill but I wasn't willing to take any chances when it came to unpleasant surprises so I made sure no one could ever get in without the necessary authorization... or so I thought. The problem is that someone has apparently proven me wrong and to make matters worse I have no clue as to who that someone could possibly be, nor do I know how am I supposed to explain this one to General Hammond.

This is just the last thing I needed after the week I've been having as I try to track down one Buffy Summers... unless, of course, this latest breach in security is somehow **_connected_** to her.

I know it's a long shot but it is also the best explanation I can come up with, at least for the time being. After all, I have one girl I **_can't_** track down because **_someone_** --a very **_good_** someone-- seems to be protecting her and now I also have an intruder who has managed to do the impossible and break into our system. The thing is that the skills required to protect Buffy would be similar to the ones necessary to break into our computers so I'm not really willing to believe that those two situations came about almost simultaneously as a result of some sort of coincidence. The problem is that now, instead of having to track down just one girl, I'm having to track down one girl and one mystery hacker about whom I know even less and that is likely to turn into a distraction I can't really afford here.

No matter how I look at it, what had originally seemed like a rather simple task --tracking someone down-- has turned into a maze where I no longer know what I'm dealing with and the truth is that that is more than a little frustrating.

When I first set out to look for someone with the Ancient's gene I assumed that identifying that someone was bound to be an almost impossible task and I was incredibly relieved when it turned out that that **_wasn't _**the case. The problem is that even at the time I failed to consider what that early success could possibly entail.

Yes, identifying Buffy Summers turned out to be remarkably easy but at the time I got more than a little carried away and I failed to heed the obvious warning signs. Sure, I was aware that she might be wary of the military after her encounter with the NID but I didn't recognize the other half of the problem: **_how_** she came to the attention of the NID in the first place.

All along we had been working under the assumption that the Ancient's gene would be an invisible trait here on earth, one that served no real purpose in our world but the truth is that as soon as I discover the NID's file on Buffy Summers I should have realized that that **_wasn't_** the case.

Buffy Summers came to the attention of Maggie Walsh because of her strength --a strength that was described as being well beyond anything that could possibly be explained by normal means-- and the fact is that the Ancient's gene would seem to be the most logical explanation for that strength... even if I can't figure out how on earth does A lead to B here. That is, however, one question that can wait until **_after_** I have found her, as is the question of how, if the gene is **_not _**invisible, did it go unnoticed for this long.

The thing is that as soon as I realized that there was a visible trait that was likely to be associated with the Ancient's gene I should have reevaluated my expectations and my course of action but I didn't. I kept treating this as I would have any search for an average civilian and the end result is that I seem to have attracted the attention of someone who is good enough to have pulled off the impossible and breached our computers.

That means that chances are right now Buffy Summers knows more about us than we know about her and I have yet another riddle in my hands, this one concerning **_who_** could possibly have done that and how... and oddly enough that may well have to take precedence over my search for Buffy Summers because if someone managed to do it, we can't rule out the possibility of someone else pulling it off. If it was done once it can be done again, it is as simple as that, and we really can't afford to take that chance. If there's a hole we have to patch it... though I still can't quite figure out how that hole came to be there --and be exploitable-- in the first place.

Breaching one of the world's most powerful supercomputers --one with security that has been reinforced with some alien tech-- **_shouldn't_** have been possible for some kid here on earth no matter how **_good_** they happen to be.

The enhancements are nothing obvious, of course --in fact the technology is completely invisible to authorized users-- but the bottom line is that there shouldn't be anything in this world capable of breaching it... and I do mean literally.

* * *

Okay, I'm in... and it took quite a bit of magic to get to this point, more than I ever expected. The problem is that getting into their system was just the first step, now I have to make sense out of that system and the amount of information I have to go through right now is more than a little daunting. I don't know what I'm looking for and the only thing I can hope for right now is that I'll recognize it when I see it because this system is unlike any I have ever seen and it's not like I can google my way through this maze.

Okay, so let's do it by the book. The first thing I have to do is to try to figure out what I'm dealing with here. Is this the Initiative Take Two or is it something else entirely?

After snooping for a couple of hours I think I can say that --even though I'm still not sure what these people are up to-- my original assumption that they are unrelated to the Initiative seems to have been confirmed, even if they did originally get Buffy's name from some of the Initiative's files. That's the good news, the bad news is that even though I'm not entirely sure just what it is that I've stumbled upon, I think that the military has bitten more than it can chew --again-- and the whole world is on the brink of choking as a result... again.

Okay, so we have one in the good news column and one in the bad news column... on the other hand, on the undecided column we have a name, an identity for our would-be-snooper: her name is Samantha Carter, an astrophysicist and an Air Force Major. That was the easy part, though why an astrophysicist would be looking for a slayer in a project with this kind of security, I have no idea. I also have a specific location for her. She is stationed in Cheyenne Mountain and officially she works for NORAD but as far as I'm concerned that screams 'flimsy cover story' and there's no way I'm buying it, not with the security I've encountered in this place. I mean, with a cover story like that they might as well put out a flashing neon sign saying 'secret military project here'. A little more digging leads to a different name, to something called the SGC... the Stargate Command.

That's a lot more like it though the question now becomes, what the heck is a stargate?

Well, I'm in and somehow I don't think it's going to be too hard to figure out just what it is that the military has managed to get itself into this time. Honestly, you'd think that after the Initiative fiasco they would have learned their lesson but I think it's going to take more than a pile of dead soldiers and almost ending the world to get it through their heads that there are some things they **_really_** shouldn't mess with... though, going by some of the dates I've been able to find, it would seem that the SGC actually predates the Initiative.

Well, I guess that the fact that so far they **_haven't_** managed to destroy the world is something else that should be added to the good news column, though it seems like they have come pretty close a couple of times and that is definitely bad.

I'm still thinking about that, just strolling around some highly classified files, minding my own business, when I run into one tiny little word that makes my blood run cold. It is a pretty obvious answer to my question of just what the heck is a stargate but I double-check it anyway, praying that I've misread it, even though I know I haven't because if the word that's spelled out right in front of me is what I think it is then we are in trouble here, deep trouble. I glare at the screen, just on the general principle, but the word is being stubborn and refuses to change no matter how many times I read it so --not knowing what else to do-- I yell for Giles.

When I broke into the SGC's system I had no clue as to what I was going to find, now I know but I kind of wish I didn't. I mean, this is bad, very, _very_, **_very_** bad... and I do mean apocalyptic kind of bad. I may not have known what it was that I'd stumbled upon but one thing is for sure: I never expected to run into the Chappa'ai.

* * *

**_  
Author's notes_**: Hi guys, first of all, thanks you for your reviews and also, my apologies for not posting last week. As you may have suspected, this is in fact a double chapter. I was about to post when I realized that this thing made more sense combing Sam's chapter and Willow's chapter and the truth is that only Sam's was complete so the whole thing got postponed, still sorry about that.

Now if I could talk you into reviewing...

Alec


	6. Chapter 6: I've Got a Feeling We Are No

**_For notes, warnings and discalimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 6: I've Got a Feeling We're Not in Kansas... err, Colorado... Anymore  
(Sam's POV)

Okay, this may be a stupid question but just where did my lab go? That's the first thought that runs through my mind as I land on my butt **_somewhere_**, the problem is that I don't have the first clue as to where that somewhere happens to be. Last thing I remember, I was sitting in front of my computer at the mountain. This is not the mountain, nor is it Thor's ship... which is where I usually find myself when something like this happens. What can I say, I may be used to being beamed up by a little gray alien with no warning whatsoever but this is something different.

Trying to assess my current situation I look around and I realize that I seem to be in someone's basement and there is a group of people glaring at me. There's a man who seems to be more or less the same age as the colonel and a bunch of kids... well, with one exception I guess they should technically be called 'young adults'... with a strong emphasis on the **_young_**. I guess the good news would be that --at least at first glance-- none of these people look like much of a threat, the bad news is that I know appearances can be deceiving so that doesn't really mean anything.

"Where am I?" I ask as I get up, trying not to look too defensive but knowing that my position is **_not_** a good one. I'm unarmed and I'm too badly outnumbered to do anything here so the way I figure it, I might as well try to play nice.

"In our basement," says a young man who is wearing an eye-patch... and that is not something you see every day.

"Great, and where would that basement be?" I push, trying to keep myself from rolling my eyes at that remarkably useless statement.

"Under our house," comes the expected reply, which is enough for me to figure out that I'm not going to get an answer out of them this easily... not that I was expecting to.

"Fine, would you mind telling me what I'm doing here?" I try again, though I'm not feeling particularly optimistic about my chances in terms of getting a useful answer.

"Asking a bunch of questions, I gather."

"I meant how did I get here," I say, rolling my eyes at him in spite of the situation.

"How do you think?" he asks, growing suddenly serious and still not giving anything away.

"I don't know," I growl, trying to keep myself from losing my patience. I don't know what's going on, I don't know where I am and --even though none of the people in the room with me have made any openly hostile moves-- well, the truth is that I've found myself in unexpected places often enough to know that that's seldom a good thing.

"Well, you are kind of here because we wanted you here," says a young, redheaded girl.

"Who are you, people?" I all but scream, wondering what it will take for them to provide me with anything remotely resembling an answer about **_anything_**.

"You mean to tell us you don't know?" asks a tiny blonde, taking a step forward.

I'm about to say 'no' when something about this situation suddenly clicks in my head. I'm not sure who these people are but most of them are little more than kids... young adults in their early twenties, and --if I remember correctly-- the files I read did describe Buffy Summers as a five feet two blonde, which would be the exact description of the girl who just spoke.

"You are Buffy Summers, aren't you?" I ask.

"Yups," she says, rather casually, catching me almost off guard with her easy acceptance. I hadn't expected to get a straight answer out of any of them but then I realize that she probably never intended to keep her identity a secret in the first place, if she had she probably wouldn't have been here, she simply would have left the others to deal with me, knowing that I was bound to recognize her from her files.

"And the rest of you are?" I say, pushing my luck.

"You will find out in time, Major Carter," says the only adult in the lot, with a British accent, and I'm not particularly surprised to discover that they know my name, after all I'm fairly certain it's not by chance that I'm here... even if I don't have an explanation as to how or why I'm here in the first place, in fact I'm still struggling with the mystery of just where **_here_** happens to be.

"I assume you brought me here for a reason," I say, keeping my attention on the man, hoping that he will provide me with some answers.

"Yes," he admits but he doesn't volunteer any additional information.

"So why don't you tell me about it?" I push, just wanting to get this over with... that and to get myself some sort of explanation.

"Do you have any idea of just how many thousands of people gave up their lives so that the Chappa'ai could be buried for all times?" he asks, out of nowhere, glaring at me.

"Excuse me!" I all but yelp. **_That_** I definitely hadn't been expecting and I can't help but wonder just what on earth have I gotten myself involved with here.

"What part of 'a million years into the sky, is Ra, Sun God, sealed and buried for all time' **_didn't_** you understand?" he insists.

"Where did you hear that?" I whisper, not knowing what to do or how to handle this.

"My people wrote it," comes the enigmatic reply. "Now, care to answer my question?"

"Giles?" asks Buffy before I can figure out what to say and I'm relieved to have at least a partial name here.

"Remember what I told you about the project she works for?" asks 'Giles', obviously being careful not to tip his hand.

"Yes," says Buffy, nodding her head.

"And do you remember what I told you about the Ghoa'ul?" he goes on.

"The creepy crawlers with a god complex, right?" she asks.

"Yes. They were defeated ten thousand years ago... and they are what the slayer was originally meant to fight," explains 'Giles'. That should have been useful --at least marginally-- but unfortunately his description only adds to my confusion and leaves me wondering just what a 'slayer' is.

"Before...?" trails off Buffy, obviously not wanting to say anything too specific in front of me.

"Yes."

"Actually, the name is Goa'uld," I volunteer, hoping that a gesture of good will will enable me to get some additional information here. Besides, it's not like I'm really telling them something they don't already know.

"In fact the old term **_is_** Ghoa'ul, though it wouldn't surprise me to learn that in the millennia since they were banished from our world that name has evolved into Goa'uld," says Giles. "These beings are the source of both the Persian myths relating to the monster commonly referred to as Ghoul --a monster that is believed to feed on human flesh-- and the Golem in Jewish folklore: an animated being made from inanimate matter that is controlled by its creator and animated by writing the name of God on its forehead, a being that has no will of its own."

"Okay, I can see how we could go from Ghoa'ul to Ghoul or Goa'uld, but to Golem?" asks the youngest of the girls, a blue-eyed, tall brunette who probably isn't even seventeen.

"Well, the difference in the names is due mostly to the fact that the Hebrew alphabet is not really an alphabet at all but rather an abjad --that is, a script in which only the consonants are written down-- and therefore it is not particularly well suited to transcribe the original name in the first place. Because of the nature of that writing system, Ghoa'ul would have been reduced to 'gl' and from there it evolved into 'glm', a triliteral root that is more consistent with the natural structure of Hebrew. That's why there's a far more drastic difference between Ghoa'ul and Golem than the one found between Ghoa'ul and Ghoul," explains 'Giles' with a truly frightening familiarity, especially considering that I'm not even sure **_Daniel_** has ever made the connection to those ancient myths... meaning that chances are that this man's sources are **_not_** connected to the SGC.

I don't know how, but somehow I seem to have stumbled upon a human Goa'uld expert and that means I really have to figure out a way to get this guy to the SGC, even if General Hammond kills me for the breach in protocol.

I mean, it's true that we have been fairly successful in terms of our fight against the Goa'uld up until now --there's no denying that-- but at the same time there's also no denying the fact that we've been incredibly lucky so far or the fact that we have some pretty monumental gaps in our understanding of the history of the relationship between humans and Goa'uld... and now I seem to have run into someone who may be able to fill the most critical of those gaps: the one having to do with exactly **_how_** the Goa'uld were driven from our world all those years ago. Up until a few minutes ago I was convinced that there was no way for us to find out about that, I was convinced that that story had never been written down but now I'm beginning to suspect that that assumption may have been unfounded.

Could this man really have those answers? He seems to be hinting at that fact and the truth is that if he knows then there's no way I can let this opportunity pass me by... but then again there's that pesky little detail of the SGC being highly classified. That is a problem, though I suspect that in this particular case that problem can be described as little more than a technicality, because I'm fairly certain that it's not like a full disclosure would be telling any of these people anything they don't already know. Right now **_I'm_** the one with more questions than answers, **_they_** seem to be remarkably well informed.

In fact right now my head is spinning as I try to connect what 'Giles' just said to everything I know about the Goa'uld and the truth is that there are some aspects in which I can't deny the obvious similarities. Even though the Ghoul doesn't sound as a particularly close reference when it comes to the Goa'uld in anything but name, what he said about a Golem as a being that is animated by writing the name of God on its forehead comes disturbingly close to the Goa'uld practice of branding the foreheads of their Jaffa with their own symbols or --to a lesser extent-- it could also be interpreted as a reference to the way in which the Goa'uld 'animate' their hosts' bodies.

"Sorry to cut into lecture time here, guys, but shouldn't we be dealing with the nice military major?" asks the young man with the eye-patch, looking at me rather warily and bringing us all back to the hear and now.

"Right, sorry, major," apologizes 'Giles' and I can do nothing but blink because **_none_** of this is going as it should... and the fact that I've been in these kinds of situations often enough to actually know that is definitely troubling.

"It's okay," I say, shaking my head, knowing that I have to come up with a way to break the ice here... unfortunately my current position leaves much to be desired. They have me, wherever it is that we happen to be, they know a lot more about me than I know about them --in fact, with one and a half exceptions, I don't even know their names-- and I need their help. Knowing that I have to say something I add, rather defensively, "as for the uncovering of the gate, you should know that scientists don't usually put much stock on ancient curses."

"It wasn't a curse, it was a bloody warning!" growls 'Giles'.

"A warning in a language that had been dead for thousands of years, a warning that was dismissed as nothing but superstition," I remind him, not backing down even though my every instinct is screaming for me to take cover. The man may seem like a mild mannered scholar but I can see the fire under that oh-so-polite exterior and it is enough to send shivers down my spine. At first glance 'Giles' seems harmless enough but I think the operative word in that description is **_seems_**.

"Yes, and look where that's got you," he says.

"How much do you know?" I ask, knowing that I have nothing to lose here and hoping to turn the attention away from myself.

"We know the Chappa'ai was unearthed in 1928, it was briefly activated in the early 40's and it's inner workings were more thoroughly explained in 1994 by a Dr. Daniel Jackson who --going by his theories-- **_really_** should have known better. We also know you are the one responsible for programming the dialing system that is currently in use. We know you got lucky and managed to take out Ra but couldn't be bothered to leave well enough alone and as a result this world has come dangerously close to being destroyed on more than one occasion," says the redheaded girl who seems to be about Buffy's age.

"And the world being almost destroyed is unusual exactly how?" snorts a brunette --one that seems to be one or two years younger than Buffy and a little shorter than the other, younger brunette-- sounding almost amused at the thought.

Do I even have to say that the fact that these **_children_** seem to think that the idea that the world is on the brink of being destroyed is a normal occurrence is more than a little disturbing? Who **_are_** these people?

TBC


	7. Chapter 7: Getting to Know You

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 7: Getting to Know You  
(Willow's POV)

I'm keeping a close eye on Major Carter, still not knowing what to expect out of her but at the same time knowing that --even though none of us is really looking forward to it-- we are going to have no choice but to tell her some version of the truth... after all, that's kind of why she is here. Yes, our lives would have been much easier if the military had known to leave well enough alone but then again we are talking about the **_military_** here... and that is kind of the problem.

Ever since the whole Initiative fiasco went down we've been doing our best to have as little contact with them as we possibly can --or less-- but unfortunately this time around it's not like we have much of a choice. Whether we like it or not, we are going to have to clean up their mess... **_again_**.

The thing is that even though I understand that much, there are still a number of things that don't quite add up here, some unanswered questions that are still bugging me, like **_why_** was Major Carter looking into Buffy's background in the first place. I mean, the way I see it that doesn't really make much sense, especially considering the fact that she seems to be totally clueless when it comes to the things that go bump in the night. The problem is that right now it looks like everyone is determined to be stubborn and that means that we could end up being here for a **_very_** long time. Yes, we all have our secrets --well, the major's secrets are not exactly secrets anymore but she seems determined to ignore that little fact and carry on as if they were-- but the way I see it, trying to hold on to those secrets is just postponing the inevitable. The problem is that neither side can take the first step here without losing face so we are stuck trying to stare each other down and somehow I don't think that's going to get us anywhere.

I'm still wondering what to do when the good major gives me an unexpected opening by asking our names. I can see that Giles is trying to stall her but I decide that --seeing how there's no way this particular encounter is going to end without her getting an answer to that question and quite a few others-- I might as well get things moving.

"Willow," I say, being careful not to provide her with a last name. What can I say, I may be willing to part with some secrets but I haven't completely lost my mind and I certainly **_don't_** want the military on my trail if I can possibly avoid it.

"Tara," says Tara and then the others follow suit.

"Faith."

"Xander."

"Dawn."

"Hi, I'm Andrew."

"Giles."

"And you already know I'm Buffy."

"So, Mr. Giles, could you please tell me how I got here?" asks the major, turning her attention back to the one she clearly sees as the only adult in the room, the problem is that --going by the Ripperish glare Giles threw me when I volunteered my name-- I'm guessing that right now he is **_not_** in a mood to share so he is probably **_not_** the best choice.

"That would be because of me," I say, rather reluctantly.

"Willow!"snaps Giles, who is still looking far from resigned to the fact that we are going to have to cooperate with the military on this one... not that I blame him. I too would much rather have dealt with this particular mess the good, old-fashioned, Scooby way but seeing how this mess goes through the Chappa'ai and the Chappa'ai is under military control, well, we are basically stuck... besides, I get the funny feeling that this is not going to be a quick cleanup job either. The military has been messing with things that should have been left alone for more than eight years now and that's plenty of time to make a **_very_** big mess.

"What do you mean I'm here because of you?" asks Major Carter, glaring at me. What is it that they say about 'if looks could kill'? I mean, if that were true, between her and Giles I'd be a pretty crispy toast by now.

"Well, it's not like we could just leave you out there snooping around, is it?" I say, rather defensively.

"Snooping around?"

"Big time snooping," I confirm, nodding my head.

"Wait, are you the one who covered Buffy's tracks and the one who broke into our system?" she asks, glaring at me, and I cringe at her reaction but then I decide that it doesn't really matter, after all she was bound to catch up sooner or later.

"Yups... and by the way, why **_were_** you snooping into her background in the first place?"

"I wasn't snooping!" she says, sounding almost offended. "I was just trying to track her down."

"And that's **_not_** the same as snooping exactly how?" I ask.

"Okay, maybe it is but..." she admits before being rather rudely interrupted.

"So why were you trying to track me down?" asks Buffy.

"Because of some tests Maggie Walsh ran on you," says the major, looking rather sheepish, and I let out a sigh, waiting for the inevitable explosion.

"I knew it!" all but screams Buffy. "I knew the Initiative had to be behind this!"

"It's not," says the major --who obviously doesn't realize in just how much trouble she is-- trying to appease an angry slayer... as for me, my money is on nuclear Buffy.

"Well, start talking," growls Buffy, tapping her foot on the floor.

"Yes, I admit that I first found out about you because of some information that originated from within the Initiative but I have nothing to do with that project... in fact the project was shut down and all files were supposed to have been destroyed."

"If they were destroyed then how did you find them?" I ask, wanting to know where the leak is so I can plug it ASAP.

"I found out about her because while the Initiative's files were destroyed, some of Maggie Walsh's **_private_** files survived," explains the major before turning her attention back to Buffy. "The thing is that those tests show that you have a rather... unique... genetic sequence, one that may well hold the key to the survival of some of our closest alliesí. That's why we were trying to find you in the first place."

"A genetic sequence?" I ask, wondering about the implications of that statement because it means that, first, she **_really_** wasn't looking for the slayer when she found us --in fact she still doesn't seem to be aware of just what Buffy is-- and second, if that genetic sequence is as 'unique' as the major says it is, is it a coincidence that it is to be found in Buffy --who just happens to be a slayer-- or would that same sequence also be found in Faith and all the others? That's an interesting question, one that could **_really_** help us understand what we are dealing with here --what **_makes_** a slayer-- especially now that the rules have changed and all the potential slayers have been called.

"Yes, it's a long story but basically, our allies --the Asgard-- clone themselves and then they transfer their memories from one body to the next. The problem is that after tens of thousands of years their genetic material is decaying and decaying fast. That genetic sequence would enable them to reverse that trend," explains Major Carter, still looking at Buffy as if she were the Holly Grail.

"Reverse it how?" asks Buffy, sounding more than a little suspicious, not that I blame her. Somehow I get the feeling that we are not going to like the major's answer.

"Basically --if you were to agree to help them-- they would replace their original genetic material with yours."

"Two words, 'no' and 'way'," says Buffy, crossing her arms and glaring at the major.

"Wait, please. I know it doesn't sound good but I promise you, it's not as bad as it sounds, there would be no real long term consequences for you, I promise... I just wish I could explain it better."

"Oh, I think you are explaining yourself just fine. I mean, you want to use me as the basic pattern to cook a whole new batch of aliens and there's no way that's going to happen."

"It's not so simple!" exclaims Major Carter, sounding more than a little frustrated.

"Buffy, please," says Giles, though it is pretty obvious that he is **_not_** pushing for her to agree, just asking her to allow us to find out more about this whole situation **_before_** she explodes.

"What does that genetic sequence do? Why is it so important?" I ask, knowing that while Giles knows everything there is to know about demons, well, science just isn't his thing... I mean, I'm still trying to get him to come to terms with the concept of e-mail, even after all these years.

"Basically that genetic sequence makes the memory transfer possible... for anyone else trying such a thing would cause a fatal overload. As I said, no harm would come to you," explains the major, yet again, turning her attention back to Buffy as my mind tries to work out the ramifications of what she just said.

In a way it seems to confirm my suspicions that what she just mentioned is in fact something that can be described as 'the Mark of the Slayer', something that may have made it possible for the Shadowmen to force the essence of a demon into the first slayer all those thousands of years ago. Unfortunately while that sounds like a rather interesting theory, we still need some sort of proof here and there is only one way we can hope to get it: by cooperating with Major Carter. The problem with that approach is that going for it would also leave us dangerously exposed and **_that_** would not be of the good, especially not considering that the military would necessarily be involved.

I look at Giles, knowing that we are going to have to make a decision here and that it's not going to be an easy one. If we want to find out more about this gene we are going to need the major's help --that much is obvious-- but in order to get that help we are also going to have to reveal some of our own secrets... or --to be accurate-- we would have to reveal **_more_** secrets than I had originally thought we would have to share.

Finally I ask, "just how rare is this sequence?"

"We are not really sure. Our best estimate is one in twenty to thirty million people... and, since the gene itself is associated with the X chromosome, the full sequence can only be found in women," says Major Carter and I work the numbers out in my head. One in twenty to thirty thousand million would lead to a total of a couple of hundred --and that comes a little too close for comfort to the current number of slayers-- and the fact that she said that it is a genetic sequence that is only to be found in women all but confirms my theory... proof, unfortunately, still remains an entirely different matter.

"Could you test someone else for that sequence?" I ask, looking at Faith who nods back at me.

"Not here, of course, but..."

"Good," I cut her off.

"Who do you have in mind?" she asks, looking at me without even trying to disguise her curiosity.

"Faith," I say, knowing that there's no point in putting it off since she is going to find out about that anyway.

"You have a theory, don't you?" she asks, narrowing her eyes.

"Yups," I say.

"And you are **_not _**going to tell me anything else, are you?" she growls, glaring at me and looking far from happy.

"Nope," I confirm.

"Are you Buffy's sister?" asks the major, turning her attention to Faith.

"I guess you could call us that, but not by blood," she says, definitely playing along with the cryptic.

"So, how are we going to do this?" asks Major Carter.

"Simple, we go back to your mountain with you, you do your test and after that we destroy the sample. Once that's done we'll see where do we go from there," I say.

"You sound pretty sure she's going to be a positive match."

"Yups, almost positive."

"How? The odds..."

"Are a lot better than you think," I say, cutting her off.

"I'll have to make a call," she warns me." You can't just walk into the mountain."

"No, you don't... and don't worry, there won't be any **_walking_** involved. I mean, walking into that mountain of yours would be kind of dumb considering the kind of security you have down there," says Xander, looking at me with a mischievous smile and all I can think is 'boy, this is going to be fun!'

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: hi guys, first of all thanks for your reviews, they are really appreciated. 

Also, an anonymous reviewer asked me to explain the timeline: in the movie the coverstone is dated to 10,000 years ago (I had accidentally made that 10,000 BC, I have corrected that), so that's the date in which the gate was buried, and --as far as I can tell-- this figure roughly coincides with when the slayer was created so that's the timeline I'm going with here in terms of when the rebellion took place.

Now to an entirely different matter. I know you are probably not going to like this but I'm afraid that next week there won't be an update. Sorry about that. The way things stand future updates are going to be posted on the following dates:

-**_Birds of a Feather_** (story id: 2326309) will be updated on January 2, 2006.  
-**_Under Alien Skies-Girls Night Out_** (story id: 2694424) and **_In the Genes_** (story id: 2645891) will be updated on January 5, 2006.  
-**_A Watcher's Son_** (story id: 2695189) will continue to be updated every other day.

Having said that **_HAPPY HOLIDAYS!_** (BTW, did you know that reviews make great presents?)

Alec


	8. Chapter 8: It's a Kind of Magic

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 8: It's a Kind of Magic  
(Sam's POV)

Okay, the good news is that I'm back at the mountain and that is incredibly reassuring... the bad news is that I have no clue as to how I got back here in the first place, that and the fact that I'm not alone and I have no clue as to how am I supposed to explain the unauthorized presence of eight civilians to General Hammond. Well, if nothing else, at least I'll get a chance to introduce Giles to Daniel and maybe I'll even figure out a way to get myself some answers... and Willow will have a chance to test her theory, a theory I freely admit I'm more than a little curious about. She sounded almost certain that Faith will be a match and if she's right that means she knows something I don't... and somehow I get the feeling that that something may well hold the key to more than the Asgard's survival. If she is right then that will confirm my suspicions that the Ancients' gene is **_not_** invisible after all and it may even give us a better understanding of just what it is that that gene does here on earth.

The problem is that now that we are back at the SGC chances are things are going to get even more complicated. From what I've been able to see, these people are not exactly big on formalities, protocol and procedures and somehow I don't think that attitude is going to go over all that well around here. In that regard I am more than a little relieved by the fact that there was no one here to greet us when we arrived, after all the security camera must have captured my disappearance --though I suspect that the whole incident was merely dismissed as the result of me being summoned by Thor and that's why we haven't seen a welcoming committee... yet. The thing is that even if my disappearance didn't raise any red flags, the fact that right now I have eight unauthorized civilians with me is not going to be so easily dismissed and that means that the time has come for a little preemptive action.

"We should really go to see the general now," I say turning to 'Giles', who I assume is in charge of this lot, even if I haven't seen much evidence of that fact.

"Is that really necessary?" he asks cleaning his glasses and looking at Buffy rather warily.

"Yes, if you want to be allowed to move around freely. Let's face it, explaining your presence here won't be easy... besides, you see that security camera over there?" I ask, pointing toward the far corner of my lab. "It has captured everything that's happened here, from my disappearance to my reappearance and that means that we can expect some company in less than two minutes. Going willingly to see the general now would be seen as a gesture of good will on your part but in the end the truth is that it's not really optional... and believe me when I say that you don't want to be faced with a group of armed and anxious SF's if you can avoid it."

"Crap!" mutters Dawn and I see my 'guests' exchange a worried glance. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that they are having a whole conversation without words here and that only adds to my already exceedingly long list of question. These people are not just friends, they are more than that: they are a team, one that is at least as close-knit as SG-1 and that only adds to my confusion. We've learned to trust each other because we've been relying on each other for our very survival for years now, what could possibly have led this mismatched bunch to have developed such a level of trust in the first place?

"What is it?" I ask.

"Nothing," says the teenager, looking at Willow who merely shrugs before nodding.

Okay, so far so good. At least they are **_not_** arguing against the idea of going to see General Hammond, though if Dawn's reaction is anything to go by then they are far from happy at the prospect and that means I'm going to get stuck acting as a mediator. That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't because I really know next to nothing about these people.

Sure, I know Buffy Summers has the Ancient's gene, I know 'Giles' knows a lot more about the Goa'uld than he should and I know Willow managed to break into our system and has a theory concerning Buffy's genetic make-up, but other than that I am totally in the dark here and **_that_** is going to make it all but impossible for me to provide General Hammond with the answers I **_know_** he is going to be demanding. What I have are a bunch of first names at best --I'm assuming, for instance, that 'Xander' is short for something else-- and a couple of assumptions. Of course, in my defense I can honestly say that I **_didn't_** bring these people here... in fact that brings me back to the nagging question of just **_how_** did we get here, after all, these people are not exactly the Asgard so I'd really like to know how they pulled this one off.

"You do realized that I still don't have the first clue as to how am I supposed to explain your presence here, don't you?" I say, turning to Willow, who had claimed to be responsible for my presence in their basement a short while ago.

"Don't worry, I've got you covered," she says, still not volunteering anything else.

"Really?"

"Yups."

"So, care to explain?" I prod.

"Simple, it's magic," she says with a smile.

"There's no such thing as magic," I say, rolling my eyes at her explanation.

"Hate to burst your neat and orderly scientific bubble, but there is," she insists.

"No, there's not."

"Fine, then come up with your own explanation."

"Some sort of technology..." I begin but she cuts me off before I can go any further than that.

"Nope, no technology involved," she says, openly grinning at me.

"Then how...?"

"I already told you. It's maaagiiic," she insists.

"You can't honestly expect me to believe..."

"I don't expect you to believe anything," she interrupts me, losing the grin and sounding almost resigned. "In fact I'm pretty sure that you **_won't_** believe me no matter **_what_** I tell you or what you see, but that's not really the point, is it? You asked for an explanation and I provided you with one. Magic is the only explanation you are going to get, what you do with that explanation is up to you. If you want to go looking for evidence of some non-existent technology be my guess, you are not going to find it."

I'm trying to work on that because the problem is that --as crazy as this whole thing sounds-- I'm having a hard time coming up with a different explanation. My instinctive reaction that it must be some sort of technology seems to be contradicted by the fact that I'm **_not_** dealing with aliens here, heck, I'm not even dealing with a group that is likely to have access to some sort of cutting-edge human technology. What I'm dealing with here is a group of civilians in my own world --in a world I was fairly certain I knew and understood up until a few minutes ago-- who have pulled off some pretty remarkable feats I **_can't_** quite explain... not to mention that Willow seems to be oddly convinced of what she's saying. In a way that is the most disturbing aspect of this whole thing.

I think back to my encounters with the Nox, they are an ancient people, that's for sure, and the Asgard respect them as equals but the fact remains that even to this day we still don't have the first clue as to how they do what they do... we just assume they are using some sort of technology we are not aware of. Unfortunately I just can't explain WIllow away using that same theory.

**_That_** is something that is definitely bothering me, especially because from what I've seen her do with a computer and going by the questions she was asking earlier about genetics my guess is that she has an incredibly bright **_scientific_** mind. Magic is an explanation I can understand coming from off world cultures that are deceived by the Goa'uld, from civilizations that are less technologically advanced than we are or from the Goa'uld themselves, since they enjoy pretending to be gods, but that is not what I'm facing here and **_that_** is making Willow's explanation far more unnerving. We are not talking about a gullible kid, we are talking about a bright young woman. We are not talking about someone who **_believes_** in magic, we are talking of someone who claims to be able to **_do_** magic... and to make matters worse the fact remains that I haven't seen **_anything_** to contradict that assertion, at least not in this particular instance. I was transported from my lab to their basement, that is a fact, just as it is a fact that I was transported back, and all I ever saw her do was mutter a few words under her breath, words that were spoken in a language I couldn't quite understand but that sent shivers down my spine nonetheless.

In addition to that there's also her calm acceptance of my need for a different explanation. She is not protesting that it is magic and that I'm a fool for daring to disbelieve but rather she is telling me that I'm free to look for a different explanation, though she is warning me that I'm **_not_** going to find it. She seems to be totally accepting of my own disbelief, in fact it is almost as if she had been expecting it. Yes, I know it's not magic, I know it **_can't_** be magic because there's no such thing as magic but the problem is that since it is impossible to prove a negative it is up to me to prove that it is something else and right now I don't know how to do that.

Of course, the fact that Willow is the most disturbing puzzle I'm being confronted with here doesn't mean she is the only one. Another one is 'Giles'... and not just because of what he knows about the Goa'uld.

I have to say that to hear him quoting the warning on the cover stone threw me for a loop. I certainly wasn't expecting that and his comment about the fact that his people **_wrote_** that warning only served to make matters worse. Who are his people? What did he mean by that... and how does Buffy Summers fit into this? I know that so far I haven't seen any evidence that there **_is_** a connection but I am almost certain that there is... in fact if I had to go with my gut I would say that she is the one that holds the key, the one who drew this group together in the first place, she and I suspect Faith. There are too many **_coincidences_** around this girl and I intend to get to the bottom of this.

Buffy Summers has a purpose, of that I am almost certain but what that purpose could possibly be remains a mystery. Does that have something to do with this 'slayer' Giles mentioned? And since we are on the subject, just what **_is_** a 'slayer' anyway? Going by the way Giles said it, it sounds almost like a title. He said that the Goa'uld were what the slayer was originally meant to fight, what did he mean by that and if the Goa'uld were what this 'slayer' was **_originally_** meant to fight, what has that slayer been fighting since the Goa'uld were defeated?

I have no answers for any of those questions and I know General Hammond won't be happy about that. Sure, I can leave it up to Willow to try to explain things away by claiming it's magic but I don't see that particular explanation going over very well and I suspect that in the end I'm the one who is going to be held responsible for this one if for no other reason than the fact that they came with me... not that I could possibly have prevented it. I may not like it but somehow I think this is going to have to be their show. The way things stand right now it's going to be up to us to earn their trust and that means that we will have to let them take the lead.

Yes, it was my 'snooping' --as Willow so eloquently phrased it-- that drew their attention to us but regardless of who's to blame we are all here now and the next step is probably going to have to be up to them.


	9. Chapter 9: Best Kept Secrets

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 9: Best Kept Secrets... Sort Of  
(Hammond's POV)

I'm looking at the unlikely bunch gathered in my briefing room and trying to make some sort of sense out of this one while I wait for the rest of SG-1 and Dr. Fraiser to join us. Making sense out of this one is **_not_** an easy thing.

To say that I was shocked when these people first showed up with Major Carter would be an understatement and to make matters worse there's also the fact that I haven't exactly being provided with an explanation as to **_how_** they got here in the first place. When I tried asking the major, the look on her face was almost comical... or it would have been if this weren't such a damned mess.

The thing is that even though we knew she had 'vanished', when it happened we simply assumed it had been the Asgard so we weren't really all that concerned about it. It was only when she came back and we discovered that she wasn't alone that we realized that there was something else going on here.

We have eight unauthorized and mostly unidentified civilians in our highly secure base, we have no idea as to just how they got here and they haven't been particularly forthcoming with information about basically anything. As far as I'm concerned that is unacceptable but at the same time I know that pushing it may not be the best idea under the circumstances.

Sure, these people look harmless enough, for the most part, but my instincts are telling me that there's a lot more to them than meets the eye and seeing how those same instincts have been instrumental in keeping me alive up until now, well, I'm not about to start ignoring them. That means I'm going to have to be very careful here because, if the way in which these people are looking at me is anything to go by, then I'm afraid that the mountain may be in danger of being leveled.

Well, if nothing else at least there's the fact that one of the civvies the major brought back with her is Buffy Summers. Sure, she still hasn't agreed to cooperate with us but at least she is here now --even though we **_really_** would have preferred to get her here on our terms--and I hope that, if nothing else, we'll be able to talk her into helping the Asgard. After all, that is our top priority right now, that is what triggered this whole situation.

As soon as Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c, Dr. Jackson and Dr. Fraiser join us things almost spin out of control, as most of our 'guests' seem to go on high alert. It takes me a moment to realize that they are reacting to Teal'c's presence, the problem is that --even though it is pretty easy for me to figure out what they are reacting to and why-- figuring out how is nowhere near that easy. In the end it is Major Carter who steps in and manages to defuse the situation... at least for the time being.

Trying to keep myself from sighing, and knowing that this is likely to turn out to be a **_very_** long day but also knowing that putting off the inevitable is not going to make it any shorter, I decide to get on with the formalities. After introducing everyone to everyone else --or at least trying to without much success, something I suspect is only natural considering that I don't even know most of these people's names-- I turn to Major Carter and say:

"Okay, major, now that we are all here, care to explain what's going on?"

"Well, sir, to tell you the truth I don't really know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" I ask, trying to keep myself from screaming.

"Earlier today I was working in my lab and then all of a sudden I was transported somewhere... to their basement," she says, pointing at our 'guests' and looking more than a little confused.

"Transported how?" I ask.

"I don't know, sir. They claim it was magic."

"Magic?"

"I know it doesn't make sense,sir, believe me, but they have refused to provide me with a different explanation and I have seen no evidence of any kind of technology so I **_really_** don't have an explanation for what's happening here," she all but whines and that's enough for me to realize that she is really near the end of her rope.

"Because it's magic," interrupts the red headed girl who was introduced to me as Willow, rolling her eyes. Realizing that this is an argument that is likely to go on for a while, I decide to try to move things forward.

"Fine, well leave it at that for the time being," I say, throwing a warning glance at my scientifically-minded major. "What happened next?"

"Basically, sir, they asked me what part of 'a million years into the sky is Ra, sun god, sealed and buried for all time' didn't we understand."

"**_WHAT!_**" I exclaim.

"That was pretty much my reaction too and then I asked them where they'd heard that. Mr. Giles said that his people wrote it, though he hasn't really explained that statement any further than that so I'm not entirely sure of just what he meant," says Major Carter, all but glaring at the man.

"Care to explain it now?" I ask, turning my attention to him and making it abundantly clear that that is **_not_** a request.

"Well, general, without going into too much detail, our people were among the ones who fought the Ghoa'ul and buried the gate ten thousand years ago."

"Your people?" I ask, feeling more than a little confused.

"Yes," he says, offering no further explanations.

"Wait," jumps in Dr. Jackson, "what do you mean 'your people', and why did you call the Goa'uld 'Ghoa'ul'?"

"It's a long story, and 'Ghoa'ul' is just the ancient name of the beings you have come to know as 'Goa'uld'."

"Ancient name? You mean to tell me that you actually **_know_** what happened when the Goa'uld were expelled from our world? Are you saying that there is a surviving account of the rebellion, that there's been a record of what happened here on earth all along?"

"Yes. As I already explained to Major Carter, the Ghoa'ul were the basis for both the myth of the Ghoul and that of the Golem."

"That's fascinating and I had never considered that possibility but what I... wait, your last name is Giles, right?" asks Dr. Jackson, out of nowhere and by the look on his face I can see that he has some sort of theory... or at least I hope he has because we really could use some answers here.

"Yes."

"Are you the Dr. Rupert Giles who used to be in charge of the occult collection at the British Library back when that collection was still housed in the British Museum?"

"Er... yes, but that was years ago," says the man as he nervously cleans his glasses while most of his young friends give him a rather puzzled look, a look I can't quite understand.

"I know, before the bulk of the library was moved to..."

"People, could we get back to the subject at hand?" I interrupt before things can get any more out of hand than they already are. Myths about the Goa'uld are relevant to our current situation, the location of the British Library is not, though that doesn't mean I'm not deeply relieved by the fact that at least now we have another full name to add to the list. What can I say, full names are important when filling out reports concerning major security breaches in highly secure military bases.

"Sorry sir, it's just that..."

"Later, Dr. Jackson," I say, determined to at least **_try_** to keep things moving, something I suspect won't be easy with this particular lot.

"Yes, sir."

"Dr. Giles, would you be willing to share that information?" I ask.

"The information pertaining to the Ghoa'ul? Sure," he says without even hesitating, though I suspect that that will earn us far less cooperation from this man than I would have liked and that his question about what kind of information we were after was more an attempt to limit what he was agreeing to tell us than anything else. This man is slippery, I'll certainly give him that.

"Okay, right now, however, a more pressing issue is the one having to do with Ms Summers. I believe Major Carter has already explained the current situation to you?" I ask, turning my attention to the tiny blonde.

"Kind of," says Ms Summers, wrinkling her nose and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that she is not particularly thrilled with the idea.

"And I must say that at the time she did not seem particularly inclined to cooperate, sir," adds Major Carter, basically confirming my suspicions.

"Jeez, understatement much?" she asks, glaring at the major.

"I see," I say, realizing that we are almost certainly going to have a fight in our hands here... and that trying to bully her into agreeing is **_not_** an option, at least not until we can figure out how these people got here in the first place. What can I say, years of fighting a superior enemy have given me a very clear picture of just what my limitations are and a **_very_** healthy sense of when am I way out of my depth.

"Anyway, Willow said that she wanted to test a theory," says Major Carter.

"And what theory would that be?" I ask, turning to the red head.

"I'd like to see if the sequence you are looking for is found in someone else," she tells me.

"Did Major Carter explain the odds to you?" I ask.

"Yups, but as she said, I have a theory," she explains, shrugging her shoulders.

"Okay. Dr. Fraiser, how long would you need to conduct your test?"

"At least several hours, sir."

"That long?" asks the young man with the eye-patch, not looking particularly thrilled at the thought, not that I blame him.

"I'm afraid so. We are talking about a detailed genetic mapping here, not a mere genetic fingerprinting," points out Dr. Fraiser.

"I see, so you may as well get started, after all, it looks like our 'guests' will be staying with us for a while," I say, wondering how am I supposed to handle this mess. After so many years at the head of the SGC there aren't that many situations I would still label as being totally unprecedented... this is certainly one of them.

"Yes, sir. Who am I testing?" asks Dr. Fraiser, turning her attention to Willow.

"Me," says the young woman who was introduced simply as 'Faith'.

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: Hi guys, okay I hope you are still enjoying this... I also wanted to thank you for your reviews they are deeply appreciated,

Alec


	10. Chapter 10: It's All About Potential

_**For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1**_

Chapter 10: It's All About Potential  
(Janet's POV)

I'm alternating between staring at the results, not quite believing my eyes, and glaring at the young women in front of me hoping for some sort of an explanation, even though I know chances are none is going to be forthcoming. I've known them for only a few hours but that's been more than enough for me to realize that full blown answers are something they don't seem to be particularly familiar with... in fact so far each question we've managed to get them to answer has only left us with more unanswered questions than we had to begin with.

Yes, it is true that when Willow first suggested that I test Faith for the Ancients' gene she seemed pretty sure that the results would be positive but I never really did believe it. I had been working with Sam on this one for a while now and I knew what the odds were that Faith would turn out to be a match and yet Willow was so certain.

Simply put, if the odds that a particular woman would have this gene are one in ten to fifteen million, the odds that two such women would know each other without being related are somewhere around one in ten trillion. If they were sisters that would have been one in four but that was clearly **_not_** the case here.

"So, is it positive?" asks Willow, even though we all know she already knows.

"Yes, how did you know?" asks Sam.

"It made sense... let's just say that it's all about potential," she explains before asking. "So what do we do now?"

"Now we have to inform the general... I'm sure he'll want to talk to you," I say.

"Okay, but first could we destroy the sample?"

"Destroy it?" all but yelps Sam and I can hear the disbelief in her voice, not that I blame her. We've been itching for a chance to study this particular gene, now we have a sample of it and they expect us to destroy it?

"Yups," confirms Willow. "After all, it is up to Buffy and Faith to decide whether or not they want to help the Asgard, isn't it?"

"Yes, but..." I begin but she cuts me off almost immediately.

"Are you saying that that sample **_couldn't_** be used without them being even aware of it," she asks.

"We would never do something like that!" exclaims Sam, who has had more than her fair share of people trying to experiment on her.

"Maybe you wouldn't but the Asgard are desperate and you know it. By destroying the sample we would merely be removing the temptation," points out Willow, refusing to back down an inch.

"Fine," I say, rather reluctantly. I really wish I could have studied that sample further but we really need these people's help here more than anything else and I know we are not going to get it if we try to strong-arm them now. We have to pick our battles here... besides, if we can get them to agree then we'll have plenty of opportunities to study it in the future. **_That's_** what matters here.

Handing the sample over to Willow, I pick up the phone and notify General Hammond that we are done.

A few minutes later we find ourselves back in the briefing room.

"So doctor, I take it that you have some results for us," says the general by way of a greeting.

"Yes, sir, Faith is a match," I confirm.

"That's wonderful," he says, not even trying to conceal his enthusiasm.

"Sir, if I may, I have a few questions I'd like to ask Willow," jumps in Sam, who I can see has more than 'a few' questions she's itching to ask, even if she is still trying to maintain some semblance of military decorum.

"Go ahead, major."

"First of all, how did you know that Faith was going to be a match?"

"Well, as I told you back in the lab, it's all about potential," says Willow and, even though the comment doesn't seem to make much sense, I can see by her friends' reactions that --at least as far as they are concerned-- it **_does_** have some sort of meaning.

"Are you a match?" asks Sam, obviously trying for a different approach.

"Nope."

"So you are sure about that?"

"Yes, neither Tara nor I are matches," she says with absolute certainty and I can't help but wonder **_how_** she knows that without a DNA test.

"And what about Dawn?" I ask, realizing that of the five of them who **_could_** theoretically be a match, she is the only one we still don't know about.

"I'm not sure, to tell you the truth," says Willow, looking rather puzzled.

"But you know what makes both Buffy and Faith matches and you know that, whatever it is, it doesn't apply to either you or Tara?"

"Yups."

"Do you know anyone else you think would be a match?" asks Sam.

"Do I know anyone else I **_think_** would be a match? Nope."

"Okay, let me rephrase that, do you know anyone else you **_know_** to be a match?"

"Yups."

"Dawn, would you let us test you?" I ask, turning to our youngest guest.

"You can't," jumps in Buffy, out of nowhere.

"Why not?"

"Because she's a minor," she reminds me.

"Okay, could you at least tell us how come you don't know if she is a match?" I ask, turning my attention back to Willow.

"It's complicated," says Willow, trying to defuse the situation without really answering.

"So how many people who **_do_** have this gene do you know?" asks Sam, obviously trying to take advantage of Willow's attempts to divert attention away from Dawn to push for an answer to some of her other questions.

"Personally? About thirty. That I'm aware of? Well over one hundred," she says, shrugging her shoulders as if it were nothing.

"Okay, given how rare that gene is that is a statistical impossibility unless you've actively sought them out... and even then tracking down that many of them would be incredibly difficult," says Sam.

"As I said, it's complicated."

"Why? What does that gene do?" I ask.

"I already told you it's all about potential," she says, for the third time... the only problem is that as far as I'm concerned that answer makes no more sense the third time around than it did the first two.

"Potential?" asks Sam.

"Yes, it's not so much what the gene does but what it makes possible," she explains... not that that explains anything.

"What it makes possible?" I ask.

"Yups, it's like a plug," says Willow and I can see that she is struggling to come up with a way to phrase it.

"Like a plug?"

"Yups."

"What do you mean?" asks Sam.

"Well, think of it as an appliance that needs to be plugged in in order to work. The first thing you need if you want to plug it in is a plug. No plug, no chance to plug it in, it really is that simple. The thing is that even though the plug itself doesn't really do much, it does allow the appliance to do stuff. This gene works in a similar fashion. By itself the gene doesn't really **_do_** anything, but it makes a number of things possible."

"But if the gene doesn't do anything, if it is invisible, how come you've managed to identify over a hundred women with it?" asks Sam, looking rather puzzled.

"I could tell you, but somehow I don't think you'd like my answer," says Willow with a smile.

"Let me guess, magic?" asks --or rather groans--Sam.

"Yups."

"You are not going to get me to believe in that nonsense!" she snaps.

"Okay, then you tell me, how have I managed to identify over a hundred women with this gene --all over the world-- without a lab, without meeting them and without even leaving the country or using a sample," she challenges and I can see that Sam is not happy.

"I don't know, though we only have your word when it comes to that figure of more than one hundred," Sam reminds her, not willing to renounce the scientific approach.

"Fine, then let's keep it simple: how did I know that Faith would be a match?" challenges Willow, bringing her back to the undeniable scientific evidence.

"I don't know," growls Sam, who I can see is growing increasingly frustrated. Nothing like a little scientific mystery lacking anything remotely resembling a scientific explanation to get to her.

"This isn't going to get us anywhere. Major, could you accept that we believe there's such a thing as magic and leave it at that... at least for the time being?" asks Dr. Giles and I am deeply grateful for his intervention.

"Yes, but how did she know Faith would be a perfect match? That's what I don't understand."

"As Willow said --while the gene itself doesn't really do anything-- its presence makes certain things possible. That led my people to figure out a way to recognize that gene thousands of years ago... and it also led them to figure out a way to use it to their advantage."

"Back when the stargate was buried?" asks Sam, narrowing her eyes.

"Before that," says Dr. Giles.

"By the way, what do you mean your people wrote the warning on the cover stone?" asks Daniel and I realize that Sam is **_not_** the only one with a long list of unanswered questions... and that means that chances are we are going to be here for a very long time.

"One thing at a time, people," jumps in General Hammond, who seems to be determined to keep things from spinning totally out of control here, though I'm not too sure how successful he is going to be in that regard. Our **_guests'_** half answers are clearly driving Sam crazy and I suspect Daniel isn't really doing that much better.

"It is one thing, general," points out Dr. Giles, who is clearly **_not_** intimidated by General Hammond's rank.

"Care to explain that?"

"Well, there are a number of aspects I'm not at liberty to share with you, just as I understand that certain aspects of your work must remain classified," says the man, with a remarkable nerve considering the fact that --as far as we know-- they've already hacked into every single file they could get their hands on, "but the bottom line is that I am a member of an organization that has been around for thousands of years, since long before the Chappa'ai was buried. It was our people who figured out a way to manipulate the gene you are currently interested in to give mankind an advantage that made the defeat of the Ghoa'ul possible in the first place."

"Manipulate it how? And how did that gene give us an edge over the Goa'uld? Does this have anything to do with this 'slayer' you mentioned earlier?" asks Sam and I can almost see her putting the pieces together.

"Yes, the slayer is what gave mankind the edge it needed to defeat the Ghoa'ul."

"And this slayer is a woman who has this particular gene? Are both Buffy and Faith slayers?" prods Sam.

"Yes, but it is far more complicated than that," warns Dr. Giles, sounding rather nervous and looking at both Faith and Buffy.

"Why don't you tell us what you can," says General Hammond and it is clear that that is **_not_** a request.

"The problem is that there's too much I'm not at liberty to explain and what I **_can_** explain... well, let's just say that it is **_not_** an explanation you are likely to accept."

"Let me guess, more magic?" asks the general, sounding almost as frustrated as Sam with that particular aspect of our guests' explanations.

"I'm afraid so."

"Please explain what you can anyway," says the general, letting out a resigned sigh.

"Well, there is a fairly long explanation but it probably won't make much sense to you... in fact, now that I think about it, we are probably going to have to make some major changes to that explanation ourselves. The bottom line is that the slayer is the chosen one, the one girl in all the world with the strength and speed to keep the monsters at bay... or at least she used to be," says Dr. Giles, turning toward Willow, and I can barely keep myself from sighing as I realize that the only thing we've managed to do here is add another explanation that doesn't quite make sense to our already exceedingly long list of explanations that don't quite make sense.

Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder if we are ever going to get anything remotely resembling a full answer out of any of these people.

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: Hi guys, first of all, thanks for your reviews, they are deeply appreciated. Also, I know that there are a few characters who have been unnaturally quiet here, sorry about that but the way I see it right now there are too many characters 'on-screen' and Iím trying to keep things from getting too convoluted.

Alec


	11. Chapter 11: One World, Two Visions

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 11: One World, Two Visions  
(Jack's POV)

"Okay, you said that the slayer is the chosen **_one_**, the **_one_** girl in all the world with the strength and speed to keep the monsters at bay and so on, so how come both Faith and Buffy are slayers? Now, I may not be the brightest one here but shouldn't there only be **_one_** chosen one," I ask, more than a little amused.

"Er, yes, well... let's just say that Buffy's never been particularly good at playing by the rules. There have been two chosen ones for a number of years now, though for most of that time Buffy has been the only slayer who's been actively slaying," explains this 'Giles' character.

"What do you mean?" asks Carter.

"It's a long story, and not particularly relevant. All you need to know is that the rules have changed," he says.

"Rules?"

"Of course."

"I thought you said it was magic," she points out.

"It is, but just like science magic has its own set of rules," he explains, though I can see that Carter is still not happy about it. "The fact that the rules are different does not mean that there are no rules at all."

"So this chosen one is what?" I ask.

"A girl who controls the essence of a demon... though I've got to say that at times that control thingy doesn't really work as well as it should," says Buffy.

"The essence of a **_what_**!" blurts out Carter.

"A demon," she repeats and I just glare at her on the general principle. Honestly, these people can possibly expect us to believe any of this crap!

"Wait, first magic and now demons? You've got to be kidding me!" I say.

"Okay, you obviously have no problem accepting the fact that aliens are real so why can't you accept that there are demons out there and that most of them are not really all that nice?" she asks.

"Because it's crazy, that's why!" I exclaim. I mean, 'magic' can be a fun concept, if only because it's likely to drive my 2IC nuts but I draw the line at demons.

"Crazier than aliens?" challenges Buffy.

"But aliens **_aren't_** demons, that's the point! They are bound by the same rules as we are... even if some of them like to pretend to be gods," insists Carter and for once I am deeply relieved to hear one of her **_rational_** explanations. "The laws of nature --the laws of science-- do apply no matter what world we go to. What you are asking us to believe is..."

"People, could we please try to focus here?" cuts in General Hammond.

"Yes, sir," says Carter, looking almost embarrassed by her little outburst.

"Good, now, Dr. Giles, you were saying..." encourages the general, who seems to be trying to keep his disbelief in check. After all, we need to get these people to agree to help the Asgard, that's our top priority. The fact that they are obviously crazy doesn't change that.

"Er, yes. Well, the bottom line is that the Ghoa'ul were not the only monsters that were threatening mankind's survival back when the Chappa'ai was buried so even after they were defeated there was still a need for a slayer," he explains, obviously well aware that we are **_not_** buying any of this crap but apparently determined to ignore that little fact.

"But why only one?" I can't help but ask.

"Because of **_how_** the slayer was created: a group of shamans forced the essence of a demon into a girl thousands of years ago, that's how it all began," he says. "At the time it was considered a ritual sacrifice and through that sacrifice mankind was granted a champion, someone who could stand up to the Ghoa'ul and win. When that first slayer died the essence of the demon simply sought another girl and the next slayer was called. Up until very recently it was the death of one slayer that triggered the calling of the next one."

"Until something happened and Faith was called?" I ask.

"Not really. Faith was called the old fashioned way after Kendra died."

"Then when was Buffy called?" asks Sam, who had obviously assumed that Buffy had been called before Faith and I can't help but agree with her assessment. Buffy seems to be a couple of years older than Faith, not to mention the fact that she is the obvious leader and that they said that she is the only one who has been 'actively slaying' for the past few years.

"Before Kendra," says Buffy, looking incredibly sad about something.

"Okay, I think I speak for everyone here when I say 'uh?'" I say because the truth is that this just doesn't make sense. If Faith was called 'the old fashioned way' when 'Kendra' died then Buffy should have been dead before that.

"It's simple, really. I drowned, that triggered Kendra's calling and then someone performed CPR on me and brought me back. That's how we went from the chosen one to the chosen two," she explains.

"And the Ancients' gene is what makes it possible for a girl to be 'called' to be a slayer?" asks Carter.

"Yes, or at least that's what the evidence would seem to suggest," says Giles. "To be perfectly honest, up until now we had never really thought of it in terms of genetics, we simply knew what we had to look for in order to identify the girls who could one day become slayers, after all, we had been doing that successfully for thousands of years."

"And why would you want to do that in the first place?" I ask.

"Well, slayers may derive their powers from the essence of a demon but they still have to be trained, or that was the conventional wisdom," he explains, shaking his head.

"And you've identified over a hundred women with this gene?" asks Carter.

"Er, yes," he says and I can see by the look he exchanges with Willow and Buffy that there's something he is **_not_** telling us, but then again it doesn't take a genius to figure out that there are plenty of somethings we **_aren't_** being told here. If one thing has become painfully obvious since these people arrived is that they **_don't_** trust us... and to be perfectly honest we don't trust them either, it's just that we need their help.

"So when Willow said that it was a matter of potential..." prods General Hammond.

"She meant that the presence of that gene is what makes a girl a potential slayer," explains Giles, though I can see that he is **_not_** particularly comfortable sharing that information.

"You said that the gene acts like a sort of 'plug', can you explain that?" asks Carter, turning her attention to WIllow.

"I can try, but I must warn you that I'm speculating here because, hello, we didn't even know it was a gene until a few hours ago."

"It's okay," says Carter, trying to reassure her and encouraging her to go on.

"Well, it's just that you said that the Asgard think that this gene would make it possible for a human body to basically accommodate their intellect, right?" asks Willow.

"Yes, from what we've been told, and from what we've seen, anyone else would simply suffer a fatal overload."

"From what you've seen?"

"Yes, Colonel O'Neill has a partial version of the gene. That means that he can operate the Ancients' technology to a certain extent, but when he encountered a repository if the Ancients' knowledge the overload almost killed him. In fact it was the Asgard who saved his life by undoing the process. We owe them," says Carter, obviously trying to put the Asgard in the best possible light and emphasizing just how helpful they have been... even though I can't help but think of just how often they have actually refused to lend a hand. Of course, our 'guests' don't need to know about that.

"And that's how you became aware of the existence of this gene?" asks Willow sounding more than a little curious.

"Not really, that was after another incident involving the Asgard. That's when we realized that if what the Asgard were looking for was a gene associated with the X chromosome we had to find a woman whose parents were both carriers."

"And that's how you stumbled on us," jumps in Buffy, glaring at Carter.

"Pretty much, now, about that 'plug theory'..." insists my 2IC, trying to get things back on track.

"Well, you see, from what you've told us I figure that what the Asgard are trying to do is not really all that different from what the shadowmen did thousands of years ago when they created the first slayer," says Willow.

"That's crazy!" I can't help but blurt out.

"I know it sounds crazy but it's not," she insists. "The shadowmen used the flexibility afforded by that gene to have a girl possessed by the essence of a demon, something that would probably have been fatal for anyone else, the Asgard want to use it to possess the girl themselves. That's an important difference in terms of **_how_** they attempt to use that flexibility, of course, but when you look past their different goals, you find that both the shadowmen and the Asgard are basically relying on the same trait provided by that gene. What they are doing is basically taking the same foundation and putting it to different uses."

"Except because the Asgard don't want to **_possess_** them, they just want to be able to grow themselves new bodies so they don't die out. No one is talking about human sacrifices here!" I remind her.

"Actually, from what you've told us, the Asgard don't just want to create new bodies, they want to take those bodies over," she points out.

"But there would be no one there to begin with. The bodies would be empty shells. They have the technology to do that, that's the difference," I insist.

"Are you sure?" she challenges and I can't help but realize that I'm not.

"People," says General Hammond, again.

"Sorry, sir," mutters Carter.

"Now, that's better. Okay, I understand that you have some misgivings about helping the Asgard here but..."

"That's putting it mildly," interrupts Giles.

"I realize that, but would you at least be willing to hear them out?" asks the general, knowing that we are unlikely to convince them.

"It depends, could they try to **_force_** Buffy and Faith to cooperate with them?" asks Willow.

"They could but I don't think they would," I say, even though the truth is that I'm not entirely sure. I'm fairly certain that **_Thor_** would respect their decision, but the other Asgard? If they are anything like Loki then I can definitely understand their misgivings.

"What could they do?" pushes Willow.

"Well, it is true that we can't even begin to comprehend their transport beams but..." begins Carter before being rather rudely interrupted.

"Transport beams?" asks Andrew, who is pretty much 'beaming' himself.

"Later," warns Willow.

"But... but..." he stutters.

"Later," she insists, glaring at him.

"Okay," says Andrew, crossing his arms and pouting like a five year-old.

"So you don't even have a general idea in terms of how those beams work?" asks Willow, turning her attention back to Carter.

"Not really," she admits.

"Great," mutters Willow before turning to her friends, "I could try a spell to block them but the truth is that I would have to guess how they operate, what I'm up against and that means I can't be sure it would do us any good. I mean I assume that those beams work by..."

"Do what you can," cuts in Giles, looking more than a little worried but knowing that they don't really have much of a choice here. 

Sure, they could refuse but I can see that he is not even sure that we would respect their decision, not to mention that he knows that the Asgard are likely to come looking for them anyway. He knows that they have been identified and he knows that it is in their best interest to have this confrontation on their own terms, or as close to those terms as they can get.


	12. Chapter 12: Goa'uld, Asgard and Vampires

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 12: Goa'uld, Asgard and Vampires... Oh My!  
(Giles's POV)

I am wondering just how am I supposed to handle this situation and the truth is that, even if Willow's spell does work, I am not entirely sure. Everything I have heard about the Asgard up until now has sounded good --perhaps even a little too good-- but that hasn't really set my mind at ease. After all, I am well aware that what we've been told hasn't just been positive, it has also been heavily edited.

I know the Asgard are not a hostile race --and that is definitely an advantage-- but that doesn't mean they are harmless... in fact they seem to be anything but. What I do know is that our hosts are in awe of their power and that they are feared by the Ghoa'ul. That in itself is telling enough. The Ghoa'ul themselves were described as mighty in the old records so I'd hate to see what an enemy **_they_** fear would be capable of.

In addition to that there's also the fact that the one we are now waiting for is Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet... in other words we are essentially waiting for a very high level **_military_** representative. I can certainly understand why that wouldn't be an issue for Major Carter and the rest of the SGC's personnel but our own past dealings with the military have left much to be desired and that is not exactly helping matters here... and on top of that I have to come to terms with the fact that both the Asgard and the Ghoa'ul are aliens. I may have been fighting vampires and demons in one way or another for most of my adult life but this is a bit much, even for me.

The truth is that up until two days ago I was convinced that the Chappa'ai was a portal to other dimensions --to dimensions inhabited by demons-- not a gateway to distant worlds in our own reality, and learning that that assumption was mistaken has been quite a blow, one I'm still trying to overcome. All my life I have relied quite heavily on my training and I have assumed that the Council's sources were reliable, even if that couldn't necessarily be said about the Council itself. Now it seems that that wasn't necessarily the case and I can't help but wonder what other mistakes could have been made along the way.

Of course, in hindsight I guess it was a mistake that was easy enough to make under the circumstances. All of the Council's records concerning the Ghoa'ul dated back thousands of years and back then mankind's understanding of the universe was rudimentary at best. It was a mistake to assume that the shadowmen were an exception in that regard, to assume that their understanding of the world around them exceeded that of their contemporaries and that it was sacrilegious to question their perspective.

The shadowmen may have been powerful and wise but they also inhabited a world controlled by magic, a world where it was far more logical to assume that the Ghoa'ul were demons than to try to imagine their level of technology.

In addition to that, mankind's limited understanding of outer space at the time basically blurred the differences between different worlds and different dimensions to the point of rendering them meaningless, as was the case with the difference between aliens and demons . That is the root of a misconception that was passed down the generations without ever being questioned, a misconception we are now suddenly being confronted with.

Knowing that I need to gather as much information about the current situation as I possibly can before the Asgard get here, I ask:

"So, how long will it take for Thor to arrive?"

"One or two hours tops," says Colonel O'Neill. "After all, he **_is_** countless light-years away."

"I see," I say, taken somewhat aback by how casual he sounds when talking about the Asgard's technology.

"Could I ask you what's bugging you?" he asks, all but glaring at me, and I decide that maybe providing some sort of explanation here may help these people understand my misgivings a little better.

"The problem is that you want our help to keep the Asgard from becoming extinct and the truth is that I'm not sure that is even possible... that and the fact that by helping them we could well end up creating a new threat," I say, not quite knowing how to explain some of the details in terms the military can possibly hope to understand but knowing that I have to try.

"Believe me, the Asgard are no threat. They could wipe us out without a second thought but they have never made any hostile moves against us," reassures me Colonel O'Neill.

"Besides, the legends..." starts Dr. Jackson but I decide that now is **_not_** the time for that particular conversation, after all we don't have that long.

"I am familiar with Norse mythology, Dr. Jackson, and I am well aware that up until now the Asgard have not made any hostile moves against our world but I'm afraid that the current situation would cause a major change in the relationship between our peoples. From what you've told me, up until now they have always treated us as children or even pets so what would happen if they were to find themselves in a situation in which their very survival were in our hands?"

"You are still worried that they are going to try to force Buffy and Faith to help them, that the girls will be harmed somehow, aren't you?" asks Colonel O'Neill, suddenly sounding far more understanding.

"Among other things, yes," I say, even though I'm still not ready to reveal the depth of my concern.

"Why?"

"Because I'm afraid that by helping them we could be putting them on the path to become like the Ghoa'ul and that could easily turn out to be deadly."

"**_WHAT!_** That's crazy!" exclaims Colonel O'Neill and I'm not particularly surprised by his reaction.

"Why?" I ask, even though I'm fairly certain I know where the man is coming from.

"Because the Goa'uld are creepy snake-like thingies that like to control our bodies, that's why!"

"And that is different from what the Asgard are asking us to allow them to do exactly how?" I insist.

"Well, for starters, they are **_asking_**," he reminds me.

"I see. So if the Ghoa'ul were to ask nicely, you would agree to become a host?"

"Of course not but that's not the point," he says, barely able to contain his frustration. "The point is that the Asgard don't want to take the girls over, they merely want to create new bodies for themselves based on their DNA!"

"So they want to breed new bodies?" I ask.

"I wouldn't exactly say 'breed' but basically, yes."

"And don't the Ghoa'ul breed hosts almost like cattle?" I remind him.

"Yes, but those are people, these would only be bodies," insists the colonel.

"And that is probably how the Ghoa'ul see the bodies they are about to take over," I point out.

"But the bodies the Asgard would create for themselves would be adult and they wouldn't have any memories at all, they wouldn't be individuals with pasts and families. The bodies would essentially be blanks... and they have already been cloning themselves for thousands of years," he insists.

"With the difference that the DNA they've been using up until now was theirs to begin with," I remind him.

"Are you saying that you fear that even in a body that has been artificially created, the Asgard would still be suppressing some sort of personality? That's nuts!"

"Is it?"

"Yes."

"Well, it still sounds **_way_** too vampiry for my liking, it's creepy!" pips in Buffy, who had been remarkably quiet up until now.

"'Vampiry'? Is that even a word? And what do **_vampires_** have to do with anything?" asks Dr. Jackson.

"Oops," she says, throwing an apologetic look my way and I let out a resigned sigh. I guess a few more explanations are going to be necessary here and that is something I had been hoping to avoid.

"What do you mean 'oops'?" he asks.

"I guess we never mentioned that after the Ghoa'ul were defeated, the slayer kind of became known as the vampire slayer, uh?" she says.

"But vampires aren't real!" exclaims Colonel O'Neill.

"And here we go again, another wonderful trip to denial-land," mutters Xander.

"Hate to break it to you, but they are," adds Buffy.

"You are kidding me, right?" asks Dr. Jackson, looking rather pale.

"Nope," says Buffy, showing the side of her neck as proof and I see everyone look at her curiously and then take an almost instinctive step back. It may not have been the most **_subtle_** way in which she could possibly have made her point but I have to admit it was an effective one... besides, subtlety has never really been Buffy's strong suit.

"Okay, so even if vampires are real, what do they have to do with anything?" asks the colonel.

"Well, for starters vampires take hosts," I point out.

"Like the Goa'uld?"

"In a manner of speaking, though obviously there are some very important differences between them," I explain.

"What kind of differences?" asks Dr. Fraiser.

"Things like the fact that the Ghoa'ul have physical bodies of their own --even if those bodies are not really self-sustaining-- or the fact that the Ghoa'ul enslave their **_living_** hosts whereas vampires must take the hosts' lives and release their souls before they can claim their bodies as their own."

"Take the host's life?" asks Major Carter.

"Yes, that is the reason why not all vampire victims die or become vampires themselves, thank goodness," I explain. "For someone to be turned the vampire must first drink the person's blood until he or she is on the brink of death and then the victim must complete the circle by drinking some of the **_vampire's_** blood, only then can the demon take over."

"Okay, **_that_** is disturbing," says Colonel O'Neill, visibly shuddering at the thought.

"It is," I admit. "The point is that even though both vampires and Ghoa'ul must take hosts in order to survive, there are some noticeable differences in the process and before we can agree to help the Asgard we have to be absolutely certain that in doing so we would not accidentally be creating a new threat --one that would pray on slayers and potential slayers specifically-- especially because if that were to be the case, we would find it incredibly difficult to **_fight_** the Asgard. If the Asgard were to become reliant on slayers and potential slayers for the ability to perpetuate themselves that could easily turn them into a major threat somewhere down the line and --to be perfectly honest-- I'm not entirely sure that is a risk we can afford to take. Not even if, as you say, up until now they have been one of mankind's most reliable allies in the fight against the Ghoa'ul."

"Okay, I guess I hadn't really seen it from **_that _**perspective," admits the colonel, rather reluctantly.

"Yes, well, that is **_part of_** the problem," I say, knowing that even if I don't entirely trust these people, we really need to get them as close to our side as we possibly can before the Asgard arrive and that is going to entail having to take some chances here.

"And if that is only part of the problem, the other part would be?" asks Dr. Jackson.

"Well, the other part would have to do with the fact that even though I don't doubt that the Asgard have mastered the art of cloning, I'm not so sure they fully understand the complexity of the human soul. That means that --even if they have the DNA donor's consent-- they may still find themselves unwittingly taking over the clones by force. After all, we do know that our DNA does not define who we are and we also know that the fact that a pair of twins shares the same DNA does not really mean they are identical or indistinguishable from each other. Identical twins still have distinct personalities and those personalities can be recognized from the moment they are born. There is no reason to believe that clones would be any different, yet we would expect the original donor to consent on their behalf. Do you really believe the donor has that right?" I ask, hoping almost against hope to get these people to understand.


	13. Chapter 13: Back to School

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 13: Back to School  
(Jack's POV)

Okay, so maybe I hadn't really thought about it in those terms before. I mean, I've got to admit that, even though I trust Thor, I'm not so sure about the Asgard as a whole so I guess it kind of makes sense for these guys to trust them even less than I do. Besides, I can't help but realize that some of the things they just mentioned actually do make sense.

Let's face it, mini-me was supposed to be a perfect copy --up to and including all my memories-- even if he didn't age properly, and yet there are some pretty obvious differences between us, starting with the fact that given a choice I would **_never_** have gone back to high school. That is one nightmare I wouldn't have chosen to relive, thank you oh so very much. Come to think of it, just the fact that mini-me exists should have been more than enough to raise a few red flags when it comes to the ethics of Asgard scientists, after all, it's not like they asked me how I felt about any of this to begin with.

Sure, I know Loki is officially considered a renegade but I'm not naive enough to believe that the Asgard High Council would have turned its back on something that could have guaranteed their survival just because of how it was obtained if Loki had succeeded, so yes, I can definitely understand where our guests are coming from. In addition to that I can't deny that, given the fate of the clones created by Loki to cover his experiments --and the Asgard's indifference to that fate-- there **_is_** cause for concern. At the very least those things should have been more than enough to get us to think twice before agreeing to hand them a couple of kids to play Dr. Alienstein with. The problem is that I also know how much is at stake so I don't have the first clue when it comes to what we should be doing about any of this.

I guess it's kind of dumb but I have to admit that I had never considered the clones as anything **_but_** blanks and I really should have. I mean, I actually **_have_** a clone courtesy of the Asgard and yet it took a virtual stranger's comments to get me to realize that there's not that much difference between an Asgard taking over a clone that has been specifically designed for that purpose and a Goa'uld taking over a human that has been bred like cattle to be a host.

Sure, it's easier to dismiss it when it comes to a clone no one will miss, but does the cloned have the inherent right to speak for the clone? That's too much thinking for my liking but from where I'm standing I have to say that I don't think so. I mean, I don't think I have the right to speak for mini-me... and yet that is basically what we would be asking Buffy and Faith to do here.

This is not about cloning being right or wrong, it's about whether clones are individuals in their own right or merely things to be used and discarded, even if they don't have pasts, families or memories of their own. It is about whether or not clones are people and --as Dr. Giles said-- even though there is no question that the Asgard have mastered the art of cloning, I don't think they have stopped to consider the consequences of that 'art'.

Loki used me in his experiments without my consent. He cloned me. For him I was nothing but a lab rat to be experimented on and as far as he was concerned mini-me was just a byproduct to be discarded.

In other words, the decision to help the Asgard is bound to entail a lot more thought than we had originally intended to give it, but at the same time the fact remains that the Asgard's support is critical to our own survival, so this can't be about gut reactions either. We can't just turn our backs on them. One way or the other, there are bound to be some pretty serious consequences here and that is something we are just going to have to come to terms with.

Of course, maybe part of the problem is that it was a heck of a lot easier for me to be detached when we were merely looking for a theoretical 'someone' with the appropriate DNA sequence. Now that someone --or those someones-- are real, they have faces and names. They are a couple of girls only a little older than Charlie would have been and that is definitely **_not_** helping.

I mean, I remember when Carter first came up with her crazy theory a couple of weeks ago. One of the first things she told us back then was that --even though as a man I could never have a full sequence of the Ancients' gene-- I could father a daughter with that sequence, so that begs the question: if the girl the Asgard wanted to experiment with **_were_** my daughter, how would I feel about it? Okay, bad idea. I'm supposed to be trying to convince myself that we should help the Asgard here and picturing these girls as my daughters is not the way to do that.

The simple fact is that if the girl in question were my daughter I would say 'no way' and I know it, so I guess I can't really fault this Giles character for objecting. These may not be his kids in the biological sense of the word but it is pretty obvious that he is more than a little protective of the lot, though I'm not sure I want to know what they've been through... and that brings me right to the other revelation of the day: the fact that vampires are real.

Aliens I can accept but I have to admit that the things these people seem to be willing to accept as real are a little harder for me to swallow. In fact they would have been **_impossible_** for me to swallow if it hadn't been for the evidence that was presented to me. Whether I like it or not the fact is that the scars on Summers's neck mean that I have no choice but to accept that they **_aren't_** kidding about any of this. That means that Buffy and Faith are part of a long line of 'slayers' and by the sound of things those slayers don't usually have the luxury of long life spans.

I'm trying hard not to think about that but seeing how they said that for the most part Buffy has been the only slayer actively slaying these past few years I can't help but wonder just how many years we are talking about here, especially because Buffy is little more than a child herself and Faith is even younger. Of course, even though a part of me would really like to have an answer to that question, there's another part of me that is fairly certain that it doesn't really want to know.

As far as I'm concerned children should be protected but somehow I don't think that's what's happened with these two. So far I know that Buffy has been a slayer for years, that she basically died once and as a result another 'slayer' was called... and then that girl died and **_didn't_** come back. That means that, going by Buffy's age, chances are that that girl --Kendra, I think that was her name-- survived her 'calling' only for a very short time. Do I even have to say how much I'm not liking the sound of any of this?

I mean, so far we have vampires, demons and child warriors, not to mention magic. **_That_** is something I'm still not sure I believe in but unfortunately the general seems to have tabled that particular discussion for the time being... and I can definitely see how happy Carter **_isn't_** about that. 

Okay, so maybe seeing Carter having to try to come to terms with the existence of magic would have been kind of funny, but the rest of it?

The thing is that that is yet another aspect of this little ticking time-bomb we haven't even begun to consider but I have to say that it does sound more than a little interesting. History may be Daniel's thing but even I can tell that if these people are the direct descendants of the ones who managed to do some serious Goa'uld asskicking thousands of years ago **_without_** modern technology or Asgard assistance then they are definitely worth talking to.

Sure, some things have changed since then --starting with the fact that burying the gate is no longer an option-- but the bottom line is that these people are **_people_**. They are from earth and that means that with a little luck they may turn out to be one group of allies that actually has the best interest of our planet in mind... now if only we could keep the higher ups from messing this up.

**_That_** is going to be tricky.

These people are skittish enough as it is around us and the truth is that if a Kinsey or a Maybourne were to discover their existence... well, let's just say that I get the funny feeling that all hell could break loose and that aliens, vampires and demons would be the least of our worries. They may be young and seemingly undisciplined but I don't think trying to force them to do something they don't want to do is much of an option, just like I don't think trying to take them out would work. If push comes to shove I suspect we would lose and lose hard.

Sure, they look harmless enough --and I suspect their looks are something they have used to their advantage more than once-- but I'm just not buying it. Looks can be deceiving, I know that better than most and my gut instinct is telling me that these are warriors and we don't want to get on their bad side... but maybe it won't come to that.

Maybe, if we tackle one crisis at a time, we will be just fine.

That means we have to get our priorities straight and right now our top priority should be the Asgard situation. In that regard Thor should be arriving soon enough. I'm hoping that he will have some arguments to counter the points these people have made up until now, not just because I **_do_** want the Asgard to survive but also because our 'guests' have made some valid points and the truth is that that bothers me. I like the Asgard and I had never thought that the fact that they clone themselves was in any way similar to what the Goa'uld do, but now that the parallels have been pointed out to me I'm afraid I'll have a hard time looking at them as I always have.

I am a soldier and that means I've been trained to follow orders, orders that at times have included doing some pretty distasteful things. I am not proud of some of them but the bottom line is that as a soldier I know I usually can't afford to question the ethics of those orders, now suddenly I find myself in a position where I'm not sure I can afford **_not_** to question them, not with what's at stake.

I know maybe I should leave the thinking to the likes of Carter and Daniel but the thing is that in this case I have a rather unique perspective in terms of what we are talking about because I have a far more personal experience when it comes to the Asgard's cloning practices than either one of them and in the end that is what this whole thing boils down to. In the end it all boils down to the fact that I can't help but find myself doing the math here and I **_hate_** math. In fact my dislike of **_anything_** math-related would be one of the main reasons why --if I were fifteen years old-- I wouldn't be caught dead going back to school.


	14. Chapter 14: What's in a Clone

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 14: What's in a Clone  
(Xander's POV)

Okay, so a little gray alien. That is something new, even by our standards.

"Well, it's kind of a good news, bad news kind of deal," says the colonel once he is done with the introductions.

"I am afraid I do not understand, O'Neill," says the alien, blinking rapidly.

"You see, the good news is that we seem to have found two women with the Ancients' gene and a group of people who claim to have identified over a hundred of them... the bad news is that they don't really seem to be on board with the whole idea of helping the Asgard in the first place," he explains.

"You have already succeeded?"

"Yes."

"Have they provided any sort of explanation for their refusal?"

"It's just that there are a couple of questions we would like to have answered," says Giles, addressing the gray alien as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"What kind of questions?" asks the Asgard.

"Well, for starters, what exactly do you need our help for," jumps in Willow, having gestured for Buffy and Faith to keep quiet.

"As I am sure Major Carter has already explained, we clone ourselves but after countless generations our DNA has deteriorated to the point it can no longer be used. As a result we need to find a compatible species that will enable us to survive."

"Yes, we got that part but what we want to know is if you want to use human DNA to repair the one that has been damaged or if you just want to replace it," she explains.

"It is too late for us to repair the damage. It cannot be done," says Thor.

"In other words, cut and paste is no longer an option?" asks Willow.

"Cut and paste? I am afraid I do not understand."

"You take a bit of DNA from here, mix it from a bit of DNA from there and presto, healthy DNA," she says.

"No, that is not an option. Our DNA is too badly damaged and --even if it were not-- human DNA is just too different for such an approach to succeed. What you refer to as cut and paste would be no different than trying to recreate our own DNA base for base... and we have already attempted to do that. Unfortunately the resulting bodies were not viable."

"In other words, what you need is more than a little nudge in the right direction?"

"That is correct."

"So, if we were to agree to help you, you would basically go from being Asgard to being human, at least genetically?"

"Yes. You have to understand that human DNA is a viable option mostly because human evolution can be described as being parallel to early Asgard evolution and therefore it should be possible for a human body to accommodate an Asgard consciousness if certain conditions are met, however the fact that an Asgard consciousness can theoretically exist in a human body does not mean that our species are genetically compatible."

"And that is the problem," says Giles.

"Why?" asks Thor.

"Because from where we are standing it sounds as if you would essentially be using those clones as hosts and that sounds a tad too Ghoa'ulish for comfort," says Willow.

"Ghoa'ulish?"

"She means it sounds too similar to what the Goa'uld do," explains O'Neill.

"But you referred to the Goa'uld by their ancient name," says the alien, blinking rapidly and turning his attention back to Willow.

"So?" she asks.

"How did you know that name?" asks Thor.

"Because, contrary to what clan GI Joe here used to believe up until a few hours ago, not everyone here on earth had forgotten about the Ghoa'ul," says Buffy.

"Hey! Clan GI Joe?" asks O'Neill.

"People, could we please get back on track here?" growls General Hammond, and I can't help but wonder how much spit the man would save if he were to record those words.

"Sorry," mutters Willow.

"So you are concerned that by transferring our consciousness into a human clone we would essentially be taking that clone as a host?" asks Thor.

"Exactly," says Giles.

"I can assure you, that would not be the case. Without a consciousness of its own to animate it, the clone is merely an object," explains the alien, sounding almost confused.

"Yes, but is it an object with the potential to develop a consciousness of its own? That is the question," insists Giles.

"I am afraid I do not understand," says Thor.

"You claim that a clone has no consciousness of its own but is it because it **_can't_** develop one or is it merely because it's not given a chance to do so? From what I gather the clones are artificially-grown, **_adult_**, bodies devoid of memories or experiences of their own, right?"

"That is correct."

"And they have no means to communicate, not before the 'new' consciousness takes over, right?"

"Yes, that is correct. The clones themselves cannot speak until they have a consciousness transferred into them," says Thor as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"In other words, you are assuming that the clones lack of memories or experiences of their own --combined with their inability to communicate-- automatically translates into them having no will of their own. That is the part that bothers us, the fact that you are assuming that the absence of A entails an absence of B when A and B are traits that are essentially unrelated," explains Giles... though I have to say that, as far as explanations go, that one leaves much to be desired.

"I see," says Thor before going on, "however, by refusing to help us, are you not tacitly assuming that they **_do_** have a will of their own, even if there is no evidence to support such a theory?"

"That's the thing, I'm not assuming that they do, I'm just not denying that they may. There's a difference," insists Giles. "You see, in my experience 'clones' --for lack of a better word-- can turn out to be quite different from the original if given half a chance."

"Wait, in **_your_** experience? You mean to tell us that you've actually met a clone before?" asks Dr. Fraiser and all of a sudden I see Giles turn white as a sheet. Apparently he had gotten so caught up in his philosophical argument with Thor that he had all but forgotten about some of the other people in the room.

"It's complicated," he says, glaring at the doctor, who doesn't seem to be particularly inclined to let it drop.

"But our technology is nowhere near advanced enough!" exclaims Major Carter.

"We know," says Willow, trying to divert their attention.

"Okay, so you know our technology is nowhere near advanced enough but you claim to know a clone... have you encountered the Asgard before?" asks O'Neill.

"Nope."

"Then how **_did_** you meet a clone in the first place?" asks Major Carter, sounding more than a little puzzled.

"Well, even though our technology is nowhere near advanced enough, magic is an entirely different story," Willow reminds her.

"Magic?" growls the major and I can't help but roll my eyes at her reaction.

"Please don't tell me we're going to have to go over that again! Yes, **_magic_**!" says Willow, who seems to be more than a little frustrated, though hopefully she's not frustrated enough to give the major a little demonstration. Of course, the fact that Tara has a hand on Willow's back and is obviously doing her best to keep her grounded is not lost on any of us... and that familiar gesture is also causing a couple of raised eyebrows among the military.

"You know a clone that was created by magic?" insists Major Carter.

"Yes... and let's just say that when it comes to their personalities, the clone and the original are not even a close match."

"Well, mini-me is not really an exact match either but..." jumps in Colonel O'Neill and I wonder just what on earth this mini-me is.

"Mini-you?" interrupts Willow.

"My clone," explains the colonel.

"You have a clone?" she asks.

"Sort of... he didn't age properly so he looks like a kid, but he shares my memories and all that jazz."

"Wow!"

"So, what about your 'magically created clone'?" asks Major Carter, who apparently is **_not_** going to forget about that any time soon.

"She doesn't even **_look_** like the original and their memories are different so..."

"If she doesn't look like the original and they have different memories, how do you even know she is a clone?" she interrupts.

"Long story," replies Willow.

"Did **_you_** create her?"

"No, of course not."

"Then?"

"Someone else did," says Willow, obviously determined not to volunteer any additional information.

"And you were there when she was 'created'?"

"No."

"Then how can you be so sure she really **_is_** a clone?" insists the major.

"Because she is," says Willow, shrugging her shoulders.

"Can you prove it?"

"What do you mean by 'prove it'?"

"Would it be possible for us to compare their DNA?" asks Major Carter, still not willing to back down.

"It's not my call," says Willow.

"Could you at least ask them?"

"No."

"Why not?" growls the major.

"Because for you to compare their DNA in such a way that you would actually believe that the samples came from different sources you would have to collect those samples yourselves and that means we would have to tell you who they are. **_That _**is not a risk we are prepared to take," explains Willow.

"But if this so-called 'clone' is one of the main reasons behind your reluctance to help the Asgard, won't you at least give us a chance to prove to you that she is no clone at all? After all, you say you didn't create her and you weren't there when she was --in fact you even admit that she doesn't even look anything like the original-- so couldn't this whole thing be a fraud somehow?" insists the major.

"Not really... it's complicated."

"I promise, there won't be a paper trail," pushes Major Carter.

"And if we were to prove to you that she **_is_** a 'clone'?" challenges Willow.

"I don't know," admits the major, who obviously hadn't even considered that possibility. "Does that mean you'll let us test them?"

"It's not up to me," Willow reminds her.

"So when will you know? I mean, under normal circumstances I'd assumed you'd have to make a phone call, but somehow I don't think you'd trust us enough to make it from here."

"Actually that won't be necessary," says Willow with a smile.

"What, more magic?" growls the good major.

"Not this time," Buffy reassures her.

"So how are you going to manage?" asks Major Carter.

"How long would you need to confirm that someone is a clone?" asks Willow, totally ignoring the original question.

"Once we have the samples? A few minutes. The test would be a lot simpler than the one we had to conduct in order to determine whether or not Buffy and Faith had the Ancient's gene, why?" says Dr. Fraiser and I cringe when I see the glare Willow throws at her. Up until now she had been careful **_not_** to mention Buffy and Faith's names in front of Thor but now the game is up and the way in which the little alien is looking at them is **_not_** reassuring.

"And we have your word that you won't report this, that you'll keep this off the record?" insists Buffy.

"You have my word," promises General Hammond.

"And you will let us destroy all samples once you are done?" asks Willow.

"Yes," concedes the major.

"Well, I still don't like this but..." mutters Buffy.

"I think it's the only way," says Giles. "They need some sort of proof and this is something they may actually believe."

"Yes, well, I'm not so sure that they believing us is such a good idea to begin with so..." she trails off.

"It's your call," he says, though he already knows what her answer is going to be, just like I do.

"Okay, let's do it," she says, rather grudgingly.

"So how are you going to contact them?" asks Major Carter, turning her attention back to Willow.

"She doesn't have to. We are already here," explains Buffy.

"**_WE!_**" exclaim both Dr. Fraiser and Major Carter.

"Yups, we," she confirms, still looking far from happy.

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: Hi guys, okay first of all, thank you for your reviews, they are deeply appreciated. Also, my apologies if this chapter is a little weak, I'm not happy with it but three rewrites later I've all but given up so I decided to move on. I'll try to do better next week.

Still, reviews are deeply appreciated,

Alec


	15. Chapter 15: The Key of the Matter

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 15: The Key of the Matter  
(Sam's POV)

I'm staring at Buffy and Dawn, not quite believing my eyes. I guess now I can understand why they were so adamant about us not testing Dawn earlier to see if she had the Ancients' gene, though the thing I still don't understand is why they said they weren't sure. Come to think of it, that's just one of a number of things that don't quite make sense here and I am now more determined than ever to get to the bottom of this.

What can I say? When I woke up this morning my world made a lot more sense than it does right now and that is more than a little frustrating, especially because somehow I don't think it's going to go back to making sense any time soon. When I woke up this morning magic didn't exist and neither did demons and vampires. Sure, I was used to dealing with aliens on a daily basis but those were a different matter. Even before I saw the stargate I knew chances were there was life on other planets so the adjustment wasn't quite so big, but this?

These are fairy tales and yet the evidence is staring right back at me, making me realize that my absolute answers were in fact anything but.

"So you are essentially Buffy's clone," I say, even though I already know the answer.

"Sort of," mutters Dawn, not looking particularly thrilled by the reminder.

"But why would someone want to clone Buffy in the first place? I mean, I know she's a slayer but somehow I don't think they were trying to create **_another_** slayer... and why don't you look like her?" I ask, almost accusingly.

"It's a long story," replies Buffy.

"Then give me the short version," I say, not willing to allow them to brush me off quite so easily.

"It doesn't really matter," she insists.

"Somehow I don't think so," I say, knowing a delaying tactic when I see one. That these people don't fully trust us is still pretty obvious and I know that the only reason we even found out about this was because Dr. Giles slipped, but now that I have something to hold on to there's just no way I'm letting go.

"Fine, you want to know? A few years ago a hell goddess named Glorificus was looking for a way home and at the same time a bunch of monks were looking after the key to her dimension. Knowing that they didn't stand a chance against her, the monks decided to hide the key where it would actually be safe. Back then the key was energy but the monks gave it form, they made it human and sent it to me knowing that I would protect it with my life," growls Buffy.

"What do you mean 'they made it human'?" I ask, not quite knowing what this particular story has to do with anything.

"They sent the key to me in the form of a sister... and they altered my memories to convince me that Dawn had always been there... they altered all our memories," she says, glaring at me and I realize that making anything that could possibly be interpreted as a threatening gesture against Dawn right now would be a mistake... probably the last one I would ever make.

"So what is the key?"

"The key is energy. Once upon a time it **_had_** the power to open a portal between dimensions, but that power no longer exists. It could only be used once at one specific moment in time and that moment is long gone, but that does nothing to change the fact that Dawn is real now. She **_is_** human and she **_is_** my sister."

"So she is a potential?" I ask, realizing that Buffy is still on high-alert and trying to bring the conversation back to a safer subject.

"As I said, we don't really know," jumps in Willow.

"But if she is essentially Buffy's clone then she has the Ancients' gene, right?" I point out, still trying to make some sort of sense out of this very partial tale.

"Yes."

"You said that the Ancients' gene is the mark of a potential, so how can she have the gene and not be one?" I insist.

"We don't really know. Genetically speaking she **_should_** be a potential --we know that-- but magically speaking she doesn't really register as such," she explains.

"I think what happened was that when the monks created her, they sent her to Buffy for protection but they couldn't take a chance that she would someday be called so they may have shielded her from the calling. That would explain why she doesn't really register as a potential, even though she **_should_** be one," says Tara, who I've notice doesn't usually say much.

"That could also explain why she doesn't **_look_** like Buffy either!" exclaims Willow, unfortunately I'm not quite following her reasoning.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," I say, blinking almost as fast as Thor.

"Actually it's pretty simple," says Willow. "You see, the monks 'created' Dawn and they sent her to Buffy for protection but in order to keep her safe they had to take a couple of additional steps. First of all, as Tara said, they had to make sure that in the event of Buffy's death she would be effectively shielded from the calling. Turning her into a slayer would have been a death sentence and they knew it. In addition to that, if they wanted to hide her, they had to avoid anything that would attract too much attention to her. That means that turning her into a mini-Buffy was never really a viable option."

"Yes, not to mention that if they'd tried to make me a mini-Buffy you would probably have needed a magnifying glass to find me!" says Dawn, sticking her tongue out at her sister.

"Hey!" growls Buffy, glaring at Dawn and I'm suddenly hit by just how **_real_** the interaction between the two of them feels.

"Guys, come on," says Willow, before turning her attention back to me. "The thing is that if they had made Dawn into a younger but identical version of Buffy that would have attracted someone's attention sooner or later. As a result I think that somewhere in the spell they used to create her they must have added a glamour. Of course, since I'm not sure what spell they used in the first place I can't be absolutely certain but..."

I shake my head at that explanation, not so much because it doesn't make sense but rather because I have to admit that all this talk of magic confuses me. I can't deny what I've seen these people do but at the same time a whole lifetime of convictions can't be brushed aside so easily. Besides, even if I could, that would **_still_** leave me struggling with their explanations because I don't have the necessary parameters to make sense out of them. Does Tara's explanation make sense? Willow claims it does but I honestly can't tell.

What I can tell is that these people seem to see the world from an entirely different perspective, in fact they almost seem to inhabit a completely different world and **_that_** is something I'm having a hard time trying to come to terms with.

The problem is that their world seems to have collided with mine and that means I have no choice but to deal... and then get myself some answers. Of course, that is easier said than done, especially because I don't even know where to begin. In addition to that there's also the fact that --even **_without_** the magical aspect of these people's explanations-- there are quite a few things I have no choice but to consider, things I had never really bothered to think about before.

It's funny how I had never even considered that there might be some parallels between Goa'uld and Asgard in terms of their survival strategies but now that the similarities have been pointed out to me, I can't help but to acknowledge them. I mean, I had never even questioned the Asgard's need for fresh DNA. The explanation Thor had given us had seemed reasonable enough up until now but today he said something that made me realize that there may well be more to this story than we had been led to believe: Thor said that they had tried to recreate a healthy Asgard DNA sequence base for base but that the resulting bodies hadn't been viable.

That is a telling little detail.

Of course, now that he's mentioned it, I can't help but realize that given the Asgard's knowledge of genetics that should have been the logical solution, one far easier and more reliable than requesting the help of a species as 'primitive' as our own... the only problem is that that logical solution failed. The logical solution turned out to be nothing but a dead end.

That is the part that's bothering me, the part that says that --from a scientific perspective-- there's no way to explain that failure... not unless there was something missing, something that went beyond the basic DNA, something their scientists **_couldn't_** duplicate. There is no doubt in my mind that the DNA the Asgard had artificially engineered for themselves was perfect from a genetic perspective and that means that the problem must have been elsewhere. That means something had to have been missing, **_something_** that had nothing to do with the DNA itself.

I freely admit that up until now I had found all this talk of souls to be more than a little disturbing. It was, in a metaphorical sense, alien to me. I lived in a world ruled by science... now I'm struggling with an unexpected past tense. I **_used_** to live in a world ruled by science, but the fact is that in such a world a healthy DNA sequence should have been enough to enable the Asgard to create a healthy clone but that didn't turn out to be the case and **_that_** --I can't help but acknowledge-- is something science just can't explain.

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: Hi guys okay I wanted to thank you for your reviews. I know some of you are **_not_** happy with my take on the Asgard and feel that Jack would **_never_** question Thor's word. I agree that Jack trusts Thor but after the whole clone incident I'm not sure of how much he trusts the Asgard as a whole. As far as I'm concerned there's a difference there.

Okay, this is it for this week, don't forget to review!

Alec


	16. Chapter 16: What Hangs in the Balance

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 16: What Hangs in the Balance  
(Giles's POV)

Well, at least it seems that for once the military is willing to listen to reason and that is good. It means that at least the threat from **_this_** world can be neutralized, the problem is that I'm still not sure the Asgard understands what I mean. I am no expert in reading alien body-language but as far as I can tell right now Thor looks more confused than anything else and --given the circumstances-- that is hardly surprising.

With the humans in the room at least I have a general idea as to where the common ground is likely to be but when it comes to more spiritual matters I suspect that reaching an alien will turn out to be something of a challenge. It is quite apparent that the Asgard are a technologically advanced race but if what we've seen here on earth is anything to go by, then it is not uncommon for technological development to come at the expense of spiritual awareness.

It is all a matter of balance and that balance is precisely what I suspect is missing here.

"The problem is that I'm afraid there's **_nothing_** we can do to save the Asgard, not really," I say, not knowing whether or not Thor will be able to follow my reasoning.

"But if we could obtain healthy, viable DNA we could..." he begins but I cut him off almost immediately.

"No you couldn't. I think the problem is far more basic than you seem to realize."

"I'm afraid I do not understand," he insists and **_that_** is the real problem here.

"I know you don't, that's exactly the point. You see, even now what you are asking for is a chance to create a healthy generation of clones. You haven't even mentioned the fact that if we were to help you you would still be left with a non-viable population. Even if we were to help you, your population would be entirely female," I point out, knowing that I'm going to have no choice but to try to explain this in scientific terms, though I freely admit that science is not my strong suit.

"I understand that, but sexual reproduction was never our ultimate goal," Thor reminds me.

"And that's what got you in trouble in the first place," I say. "The whole point of evolution is supposed to be the survival of the species but for thousands of years your primary concern has been the survival of the individual. Even now you are not here looking for a way to save the Asgard as a species, you are concerned primarily with your **_own_** survival. You don't want to create a new Asgard population, you want to be able to sustain the existing one indefinitely. That is why an entirely female population does not seem to be a problem to you."

"Sexual reproduction would not be viable for our people, not now," he insists.

"Why not?" asks Major Carter.

"Because we are an old race. We've come too far and without a transfer of consciousness to begin with it would be impossible for us to truly preserve our knowledge. A young Asgard would need well over a thousand years to acquire the basic knowledge needed to even begin to function in our society," Thor points out.

"In other words, your problem is that the very young don't always do what they are told?" asks Colonel O'Neill with a smile and I wonder what is going on.

"In a manner of speaking," confirms the alien, though I can't help but feel that the colonel's comment doesn't really fit with what we've been discussing up until now... in fact in a way it seems completely out of place in this conversation. Still, Thor seems to know what he is referring to so I assume that **_somehow_** it does make sense.

"By the way, why didn't you ever ask the Nox to help you? I mean, they are one of the four races so I assume they are advanced enough," says the colonel.

"We did, unfortunately they too were reluctant to help," admits Thor and I can't help but wonder who these 'Nox' are.

"Why?"

"We don't know. Even though we have been allies for many thousands of years, at times we have trouble communicating because our paths have always been so different. They do not understand our technology any more than we understand theirs."

"Yes, well, from what we saw, it's not like Nox technology makes much sense anyway," mutters Colonel O'Neill, shaking his head.

"The Nox?" I ask, seizing the opportunity.

"Another alien race we've come across a couple of times. They are peaceful beings, maybe even a little too peaceful for their own good. They are one of the four races," explains Dr. Jackson.

"The four races?"

"It's an old alliance including the Ancients, the Asgard, the Nox and the Furlings. We've never really met the Furlings, the Ancients have ascended to another plane of existence, the Asgard, well, you've met the Asgard, and then there are the Nox."

"The Ancients? You called this gene that is present in both Faith and Buffy the 'Ancients' gene', correct?"

"Yes, we first became aware of its existence because its presence --or even its partial presence-- seems to enable humans to interact with the Ancients' technology to a greater extent."

"Interact with the Ancients' technology?" I parrot... again.

"Yes, there are some devices anyone can use, such as a DHD but..."

"A DHD?" I interrupt, growing increasingly frustrated with these partial explanations.

"A Dial Home Device. It's what we call the device found on most planets that makes it possible to control the stargate," explains the colonel.

"The Ancients were the ones who built the stargate network in the first place," adds Major Carter.

"But I thought the Ghoa'ul..." I say, more than a little shocked by that particular bit of information.

"No, the Goa'uld just use the network, just like we do, but they didn't build it," she says.

"I see. So, wouldn't these 'Ancients' represent a more logical solution to the Asgard's problems?" I can't help but ask.

"Unfortunately they are no longer around," explains the major.

"They are extinct?"

"Not exactly, as I mentioned before, they've ascended. They no longer have physical bodies and that means they have no DNA," says Dr. Jackson.

"In other words, they reached the pinnacle of one form of existence and took the logical step of moving on to the next one?" I ask, relieved by the realization that things are **_finally_** starting to make sense here.

"Logical?" he asks, sounding more than a little disbelieving.

"At least from our perspective," I say, well aware that my interpretation will probably seem anything but to these people. "You see, science sees all life as existing on the same plane, magic does not. That is the difference. We are used to demons coming from different planes of existence so the idea of a whole race of ascended beings is something we can relate to."

"Okay, I'm afraid I'm not following you," says Major Carter.

"It's quite simple, really. Even the Christian conception of the universe recognizes different levels. One example would be the Nine Circles of Hell and the Nine Spheres of Paradise. Christianity accepts the fact that the inhabitants of these other planes --of these circles and spheres-- are inherently different from the inhabitants of our own realm. Those who come from the Circles of Hell are perceived as demons or lower beings and those who come from the Spheres of Paradise --though far less numerous-- are perceived as angels or higher beings. In addition to that there's a tacit acknowledgment of the fact that the 'natural' order is anything but fixed. That is why humans can hope to reach the next level through their actions. Anyway, that is the religious perspective and even though it is highly oversimplified and not necessarily an accurate representation of the facts, it may well be enough to help you relate to the current situation a little better. Taking that as a basic foundation, you have that what you are saying is merely that one of the four races you just mentioned managed to move on to the next level. **_That_** is what I mean when I say that by ascending the Ancients merely took what amounts to a fairly logical next step."

"Yes, well, that's all nice and good but somehow I think we are losing sight of what we are supposed to be doing here, you know? I mean, weren't we supposed to be trying to figure out a way to keep the Asgard from dying out?" reminds me Colonel O'Neill, who seems to be about as comfortable with philosophical reflection as Faith is.

"Yes, and I think we already have," I say with a smile, the only problem is that getting these people --and especially the Asgard-- to come to terms with what that way entails is **_not_** going to be easy.

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: Hi guys. Okay, first of all thank you for your reviews, I really appreciate them.

Also I wanted to remind you that in this universe season 6, most of season 7 and seasons 8 and 9 of **_SG-1_** never happened. In addition to that there's no such thing as **_Stargate: Atlantis_**... and since we are on the subject of disregarding canon let's just say that the whole **_Angel_** thing never happened either.

Finally I wanted to dedicate this chapter to my cat (not much of a reader, I know, but she died yesterday),

Alec


	17. Chapter 17:'Simple' Is Such a Deceptivel

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 17: 'Simple' Is Such a Deceptively Simple Word  
(Jack's POV)

Okay, I'm pretty sure I'm missing something here, not that **_that_** is an unusual situation.

"What do you mean 'we already have'?" I ask. Honestly, and I thought Daniel and Carter were bad when it came to making sense without making any sense at all? I swear that if this guy tells me it's 'simple' I'm going to deck him.

"I mean that maybe the time has come for the Asgard to consider a different path, especially because there doesn't seem to be a way for them to move forward on their current one," he replies.

"Could you dumb it down for the rest of us?" I growl.

"I think what Dr. Giles means is that maybe the time has come for the Asgard to consider the possibility of following the Ancients' path and ascending," explains Daniel, ever the diplomat, trying to play the mediator.

"Somehow I don't think it's going to be that simple," I say, trying not to sound too worried at the prospect. I know this is supposed to be about the Asgard's survival and I have to admit that what they are saying does make sense, in a really twisted kind of way, but there are other things we have to consider here, like what would happen to the protected planets **_without_** the Asgard.

"No, of course not... in fact we don't really know how to help them attain that goal because we are nowhere near that level but at the same time it does seem to be the most reasonable path."

"Okay but if you don't know how to help them, and assuming the Asgard don't know how to do it themselves..." I trail off.

"Well, I never said it was going to be easy, I just said that I knew what the logical next step was supposed to be," reminds me Dr. Giles.

"Besides, it's not like the Asgard have agreed to go along with this crazy plan of yours," I point out.

"No, I realize that, but I don't think they have much of a choice, especially because I don't see any other permanent solution to this situation. Even if we were to agree to help them they would only be buying themselves a bit of time and Thor has already explained why going back to sexual reproduction wouldn't be an option for them, not even if they **_could_** come up with a way to create a viable male clone somehow based on a slayer's female DNA."

"Perhaps the Nox could help?" suggests Daniel.

"I don't know," I say, still not entirely sure of how I feel about any of this. I mean, I know this guy probably has a point here but I don't have to like it. There is too much at stake, the problem is that these people don't know that... they don't know that by doing what they are suggesting they may well end up saving the Asgard but dooming our world.

"Well, could we at least contact them?"

"How? **_We_** were the ones who told them to bury their stargate in the first place, remember?" I say, glaring at Daniel.

"Yes, and then the Tollan contacted them and they came --not to mention that they were there when the whole thing with Skaara's triad went down-- so I assume that even if their stargate **_is_** buried, they can still unearth it whenever they want to... besides, I think you are seriously underestimating the Nox here."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that they are one of the four races so chances are that what we've seen them do is nothing but the tip of the iceberg."

"Okay, maybe, but..."

"Thor, do you have a way to contact the Nox?" asks Daniel, apparently having decided to go over my head on this one.

"Yes."

"Would it be possible for you to ask Lya if she would be willing to come talk to us?"

"Daniel..." I mutter, not liking this one bit.

"What! We are not going to get anywhere here as long as we are trying to speculate on whether or not the Nox can help, you know that, so why not just ask them?" asks Daniel.

"Fine," I say, knowing that there's no way I can argue against this, even if I don't like it.

With that there is a flash of white light as Thor disappears and I seize the opportunity to turn toward my wayward archeologist.

"Care to tell me what the hell do you think you are doing, Daniel?" I growl.

"Trying to figure out if what Dr. Giles is suggesting is even an option," he replies, not backing down.

"Yes, well, even if it is, did you ever stop to consider that even if it is an option it may not be the best option?"

"Well, it doesn't look like we have that many choices now, does it?" he reminds me.

"Would you mind explaining to me what the problem is, colonel?" asks Dr. Giles.

"The problem is that the Asgard are the ones who put the 'protected' on the 'protected planets' and ascended beings can't interfere!" I all but yell at him.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"There is a group of planets the Goa'uld aren't allowed to touch --at least not directly-- because they fall under the Asgard's protection. .. earth is one of them and if the Asgard were to ascend that protection would be lost to us."

"I see, but wouldn't we also lose it if the Asgard were to become extinct?"

"Yes, but if you would just have agreed to do what they were asking you to do in the first place that threat would have been gone and we wouldn't be running the risk of losing their protection either."

"But what Thor was asking us to do would have been a stopgap measure at best," he points out.

"A 'stopgap' measure that would have bought us at least a few millennia," I remind him.

"Yes, but at what cost? At the cost of Asgard becoming like the Ghoa'ul?" he challenges and there I can't help but admit that this guy may have a point. Somehow this whole thing was so much easier before these people showed up with all their talk about souls and so on... unfortunately without them we **_couldn't_** have helped the Asgard either, especially because they seem to have a monopoly on girls with this DNA sequence. How did we get ourselves into this mess anyway?

Oh, yes, I remember. It all began when Carter said that the solution to the Asgard's cloning problems was fairly obvious. That's what she said and maybe **_that_** should have been a clue, after all Carter does seem to have some pretty weird ideas when it comes to the definition of some words, words such as 'basic', 'obvious' and 'simple'.


	18. Chapter 18: Somewhere Between 'Now' and

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 18: Somewhere Between 'Now' and 'Not Now'  
(Tara's POV)

A few minutes after his disappearance Thor reappears and almost at the same time something activates a warning system. I'm not sure what's going on but Thor says that it should be the Nox and everyone relaxes almost immediately. The general gets up, followed by his people, and soon enough we are all in a room dominated by a huge metal ring, a ring I can only assume is the Chappa'ai. I can feel the energy surrounding it as it engages and then a lone figure emerges from its shimmering surface.

I can't help but stare at her.

Her aura is unlike anything I have ever encountered before and when she looks at me I can barely keep myself from looking away. I knew we were dealing with aliens here but up until now I hadn't given much thought to what that meant beyond the existence of yet another threat menacing our world, in fact I hadn't even realized that Thor's aura feels almost blurry. 'Blurry', however, is not a word I would ever use to describe this being's presence... and right now she's staring at me and at Willow.

I wonder what she sees... no, actually I know what she sees, or at least I have a general idea. I can feel that Willow is getting nervous and I can't really blame her so I reach for her hand in a silent attempt to reassure her. Auras may not be her thing but I know she has to be sensing the Nox's presence... and she feels tainted.

I know what Willow did and I know what she almost did, I also know why she did it and I know why it was necessary but it is a lot more complicated than that. I know that, even though Warren's life was the price that had to be paid to save the world, the circle of death that led Willow to that point was one she created herself. Yes, the death that weighs on her soul is that of a man but the one that started the whole thing was that of a fawn. The innocent she sacrificed to be able to bring Buffy back, the one that tipped the scales and allowed the First to manifest itself... and now Willow is being confronted by a being that is perfectly clean.

I'm still thinking about that while holding on to Willow's hand when the woman in question takes a step in our direction and then another and another. I'm not afraid, not really, and neither is Willow. We both know we have nothing to fear from her but that doesn't mean we are not overwhelmed.

She doesn't say anything for the longest time, she just looks at us, apparently feeling as confused as we are, and then she turns toward Colonel O'Neill, with an odd smile on her face.

"Anyone care to fill us in?" growls the colonel, obviously not happy at being left out.

"They understand... or at least they will someday," says the 'woman' I assume to be Lya.

"They understand what?"

"I once told you that your race had learned nothing but you had... they have merely learned a little more than you have, that's all," she explains and I feel Willow relax a bit at her words.

"Learned **_what_**? Thor, a little help here, please," all but begs the colonel, turning toward his Asgard friend.

"I am sorry, O'Neill, I do not understand what is happening myself," says the alien blinking at us.

"The Nox, they are connected to the universe in a way that... I don't know how to explain it, I'm sorry," I apologize.

"Try," insists the colonel.

"It's about energy..." Willow starts before trailing off.

"Energy?" asks Major Carter.

"Magical energy, to be accurate."

"Are you saying that the Nox actually use magic?"

"Of course... though I seriously doubt they'd call it that," says Willow. "For them it is probably the most natural thing in the world so chances are that our word for it makes no sense at all as far as they are concerned."

"But magic..."

"Is real, I think we've pretty much established that point already, major," says Giles.

"I know, sort of, but even though I can accept the existence of magic, that doesn't mean I don't wish I had a better explanation of **_how_** and **_why _**it works," retorts the major.

"And that is precisely the problem. You are attempting an impossible translation here, that's the reason why you don't understand. You cannot understand magic based on scientific principles any more than you can understand science based on magic. Science and magic exist side by side and it is even possible to get them to work together but they follow different rules and require different perspectives. From what I've seen here you are just too reluctant to let go of the one you are familiar with."

"But..."

"Think of it like this: science deals with the material world, with what you can see and touch, magic deals with the energy **_surrounding_** that world... well, not really surrounding it because that would seem to suggest that it is separate somehow and it's not but..." explains, or rather babbles, Willow.

"Can you show me?" interrupts Major Carter and I can feel Willow tense up almost immediately.

"I don't know. It's not so simple... it takes training and a certain natural affinity. Besides, it can be kind of dangerous," she says.

"Dangerous?"

"In case you haven't figured it out, magic is a powerful thing... believe me, I know," she says, not meeting the major's eyes.

"Exactly how powerful are we talking here?"

"You don't want to know," she mumbles.

"I think we do," jumps in Colonel O'Neill, glaring at Willow. "How powerful?"

"It wouldn't be impossible for a magic user to burn this world to a cinder," I admit, trying to divert the attention away from her.

"**_WHAT!_**" yell three voices almost simultaneously.

"I said 'it wouldn't be impossible', that doesn't mean it's something that is likely to happen. In fact that would require an almost unheard of amount of power," I say, fighting the urge to take a step back. I've always disliked confrontations --though my time with Cassandra definitely helped me learn how to deal with them a little better-- and I'd rather avoid them whenever possible but right now Willow needs me and I don't intend to let her down.

"Yes, well, it's that 'almost' part that's bugging me," grumbles the colonel, glaring at us. 

This conversation is getting a little too close to some issues we'd really rather not share here so I just hope Lya won't say anything, even though I'm sure she already knows.

"You have nothing to fear from them, not now," volunteers Lya, the problem is that somehow I don't think these people are going to be particularly reassured by that comment.

"Not now? And what would it take for that 'not now' to become a 'now'?" asks Colonel O'Neill, voicing the question I can see on all their faces.


	19. Chapter 19: Unlikely Threats

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 19: Unlikely Threats  
(Daniel's POV) 

"As she said, you don't have to worry about that, not now," growls Buffy, gesturing toward Lya and apparently not liking Jack's attitude toward her friends in the least... not that I blame her.

"Yes, well, if it's all the same to you I'd rather make up my own mind about that," he retorts. "Now, what would it take for that danger to become something real?"

"None of your damned business," says Faith taking a step forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Buffy and all of a sudden I get the funny feeling that Jack is treading on some **_very_** thin ice here. Subtle he ain't and I think he may be underestimating what he is up against.

"If it's a threat to this world it **_is_** my business," he insists.

"Really? And what do you think you could do about it?" mocks Faith.

"I don't know but..."

"Enough, people," yells General Hammond before turning his attention to Lya and asking in an almost apologetic tone, "are you sure there is no danger?"

"There is always danger," replies Lya, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and I can see that Jack is fighting the urge to throttle her. He really likes the Nox --at least deep down, very deep down-- but their attitude has a tendency to clash with his military mindset.

"That's **_not_** what we meant," he growls.

"There are almost no magic users powerful enough to pull off something like that to begin with and they would have to be truly desperate to even attempt it," explains Dr. Giles.

"Why?"

"Because they would not survive the world's destruction."

"That sure is a relief... not!"

"Could you stop something like that?" I ask, realizing that we are not really getting anywhere here and that magic users are **_their_** area of expertise.

"We already have," admits Dr. Giles.

"So much for there being almost no magic users capable of pulling off something like that. How did you take him down?" growls Jack.

"Who says we did?"

"Well, we are here, aren't we?"

"So?"

"So I'm guessing the world didn't end."

"Yes, but there's quite a spectrum between 'the world didn't end' and 'having taken someone down'," Dr. Giles points out.

"What happened?"

"A young woman was shot, and her lover couldn't handle the grief," he explains.

"Oh," says Jack, apparently at a loss for words, and I can't help but think back to the way things were when I first met him, shortly after Charlie's death, when he just wanted the pain to end, when taking on a suicide mission to the other end of the galaxy seemed to be the best way to go out with a bang. Still, there's something about this whole conversation that's bothering me, something that doesn't quite add up, and then it hits me.

"Wait, you said that you've already prevented a magic user from destroying the world and you also said that there are almost no magic users capable of doing something like that but Lya said that we have nothing to fear **_from you_**."

"So?"

"It was one of you, wasn't it?" I ask and even though they don't utter a single word the looks they exchange speak volumes.

"What happened?" asks Jack, sounding far less confrontational than he did just a few moments ago.

"I was shot," admits Tara, without volunteering any additional information but that is more than enough for us to fill in the blanks and we immediately turn our attention to Willow, who is desperately trying to avoid meeting our eyes. The problem is that finding out some of what happened hasn't helped us feel any better, nor has it gotten us any closer to figuring out what we could possibly hope to do if we were ever to find ourselves in a similar situation.

"It's ancient history," says Dr. Giles, glaring at us and placing a reassuring hand on Willow's shoulder.

"Says you," growls Jack and I can't help but wonder what he thinks he is going to accomplish by forcing a confrontation here and now.

"Jack, you may not trust them but Lya said that we have nothing to fear from them, remember?" I say.

"For the time being," he reminds me. "I'm sorry, Daniel, but that doesn't exactly make me feel safe."

"So what would you like to do about it?" I ask, repeating Faith's original question... sort of.

"I don't know, something!" he exclaims and I can't help but shake my head at that. Doing nothing is something that goes against Jack's nature and I know it. I don't think anyone would ever mistake him for someone who is comfortable --or even familiar-- with the concept of accepting the things he cannot change. In that regard I guess I shouldn't be surprised to discover that this particular situation is **_not_** an exception.

I know I shouldn't be complaining about that. I know Jack's dogged determination when confronting truly dismal odds is one of the main reasons why we are still alive and our world is in one piece --and Goa'uld free-- but at the same time I can't help but wonder what the fallout will be this time around. What can I say? His attitude may be great when it comes to fighting off enemies far stronger than we are but it's not always the best approach when dealing with powerful potential allies.

Realizing that for the time being the most I can hope to do is to get everyone's attention back to the subject at hand I say:

"Okay, but I think right now we have more important things to talk about, remember?"

"More important than how to keep our world in one piece?" asks Jack, raising an eyebrow in a fair imitation of Teal'c.

"Fine, not more important but certainly more pressing, like what are we going to do about the Asgard. **_That's_** why we asked Lya to come in the first place, remember?"

"Have it your way, Daniel, but this conversation is **_far_** from over, got it?" he says, glaring at me as if I were personally responsible for this whole mess and I can barely keep myself from rolling my eyes at him. Of course I hadn't been expecting him to let this one go --even though there is nothing he can do about any of this and there's also no real danger-- he wouldn't be our Jack if he did.

* * *

_**Author's note**_: Sorry about the delay, I had a hard time trying to get the site to allow me to upload this. 

Alec


	20. Chapter 20: In a Maze Without a Thread

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 20: In a Maze Without a Thread  
(Giles's POV)

I have to admit that this encounter is not exactly going as planned... not that we had much of a plan to begin with. The problem is that what I knew of the Chappa'ai before today was limited, tainted by the perception of those who fought the Ghoa'ul thousands of years ago... and even that picture was a partial one at best.

In those records the Ghoa'ul are described as demons and there are no references to the Nox or the Asgard at all, though in a way that is hardly surprising. Even when dealing with more familiar --and fully documented-- foes such as vampires and demons, the information that was collected by the Old Council had a tendency to focus on those fiends that presented some sort of threat. Non-hostile demons were seen as mere curiosities and as such they warranted little more than a footnote in the Council's records.

The thing is that that lack of information has left me scrambling to come up with even the most basic facts needed to try to devise some sort of strategy in terms of how this particular encounter should be handled. I know the Ghoa'ul represent a threat and now that I am aware that the Chappa'ai has been unearthed, they are not a threat I am prepared to ignore... not when the New Council might be able to help. After all, we have enough slayers to lend a hand here without compromising the fight against our more traditional enemies. In addition to that there is no denying that there's a lot we could learn here and --considering the scope of some of our recent losses-- that is **_not_** something we can afford to turn our backs on... regardless of how nervous some aspects of this possible collaboration might make us.

Sure, after our experience with the Initiative the idea of having to cooperate with the military is not something I'm particularly comfortable with --and I know I'm far from alone in that regard-- but at the same time there is no denying the fact that so far we've seen no indication that this is the Initiative Take Two. In fact, considering what these people have been facing --and facing successfully-- these past few years there is even a chance that we **_may_** have found ourselves some reliable allies and **_that_** is something we desperately need, especially now that the system that had supported the slayer for millennia --or rather the system that was **_supposed_** to have supported the slayer for millennia-- is in shambles.

Sure, the Old Council had plenty of flaws, I'm not denying that, and their handling of the slayers themselves left much to be desired but the bottom line is that they **_did_** provide some support in terms of structure. It's true that we have the resources to do our work without too much trouble, especially now that we've managed to get access to their accounts, but there was more to the role of the Old Council than that and I know it.

Of course, when it comes to one of our most pressing needs, these people are unlikely to be much use. Right now what we are resenting the most is the loss of the Council's library and in that regard they are unlikely to be able to help us replace what we've lost. The one thing they may be able to provide, however, is structure. Yes, the Old Council was far from perfect and I'm determined to make sure that the same mistakes won't be made twice, but the bottom line is that for thousands of years we had a large organization that was supposed to support a single slayer, now we have over a hundred slayers but the organization backing them up has been decimated. Since the First attacked I've been able to track down less than a dozen fully trained watchers and former watchers, plus a dozen 'dropouts' who may be willing to lend a hand. That might have been enough to back one slayer in an emergency but under the current circumstances it is nowhere near enough.

We are trying to cope as best we can and in a way the fact that the number of slayers has increased dramatically does help keep matters under control, but when confronting a major crisis, one that requires the watchers' active support, I'm not sure whether or not we'll be able to cope... especially because --unlike what was the case in the Old Council-- slayers are no longer considered disposable... and **_that_** is where these people may be able to help us. Or at least they might be able to help us if we were to figure out a way to keep things limited to these people.

**_That_** is the problem.

The problem is that while helping them and establishing some sort of permanent relationship with them **_could_** prove to be beneficial, I am still not entirely comfortable with the kind of help they are asking us to give in terms of the Asgard. I remember something Buffy said after Spike had his chip removed: she said that you don't fight evil by doing evil... and that is exactly what we are running the risk of doing here.

I know that the end does not justify the means and I know we have to be careful. Yes, what they do here in terms of fighting the Ghoa'ul is something that could be described as common ground, something we could definitely help with but at the same time I am almost painfully aware of the fact that the SGC is not an isolated operation. The SGC is part of the US military and **_that_** is not an institution I'm prepared to trust... not with the kind of power a slayer or a witch can wield, and certainly not after what they tried to do in Sunnydale.

Yes, back in England the Old Council had some ties with the Royal Family that dated back to the Middle Ages and those ties enabled them to operate outside the law whenever necessary --as was the case when it came to 'removing' potential slayers from their families-- however one critical element of those ties was a clear understanding that the Council, or rather the slayer, could not get directly involved in human conflicts.

That was a 'gentleman's agreement' that had been in place since the beginning and it is also one element I suspect we may have more than a little trouble trying to recreate here, especially now that our headquarters are located in Cleveland and therefore theoretically under the jurisdiction of the US government.

The good news is that, if the SGC has found a way to work with the Nox, there may be some level of hope for us. The bad news is that, unlike the Nox, we can't just abandon earth if someone were to get greedy. We are stuck here, the military craves power, and slayers have it, it is as simple as that. That makes any possible association with the SGC inherently dangerous but at the same time I'm not sure we have much of a choice in the matter, not now that --whether we agree to help them or not-- they are already aware of our existence.

Knowing that there's only one thing for us to do I swallow hard and say...

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: Hi guys, sorry about the delay. The truth is that I was on the brink of scrapping this chapter altogether. There is something about it that just feels off, I'm not sure whether it feels too incoherent or not incoherent enough but the bottom line is that I'm not a happy camper... well, it happens sometimes.

Alec


	21. Chapter 21: How Soon Is Soon Enough?

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 21: How Soon Is Soon Enough?  
(Jack's POV)

I have to say that I'm still somewhat worried about this whole mess, especially now that I know what kind of punch these kids **_really_** pack. I mean, what the heck are we supposed to do with a girl who could literally take out the world? That is what we have here, but at the same time there's a part of me that can't help but to understand. I mean, destroying the world could be seen as taking things to the extreme but grief is something I can definitely relate to.

The problem is that our 'guests' seem to have more tricks up their sleeves than the average magician and that bothers me. Still, something deep down tells me that the one I should **_really_** watch out for is Giles. Sure, the man looks even geekier than Daniel did when I first met him and so far the power seems to be centered around the girls but I'm a military man and one thing I know is that the one you don't turn your back on is the opposing general... and that's exactly what he is, there's no denying **_that_**.

**_His_** girls will listen to him, of that I have no doubt, and that makes **_him_** the most dangerous one.

I guess that's one of the main reasons why I felt so relieved when I saw the change that came over his features as he kept an eye on my argument with Daniel. I don't know what he was thinking but if it got him to move us out of the 'potential enemy' column I'm all for it... now if only we could get a coherent, full story out of these people I would be a happy colonel... or at least a less unhappy one. The knowledge that there are kids out there who are capable of destroying the world is definitely **_not_** something that will help me sleep better at night, especially because I am all too aware of what kind of mistakes children can make.

Sure, Willow, Buffy and company are not exactly children but they are still way too young to have that kind of power... either that or I'm getting old. Of course, on top of that there is also the fact that I am painfully aware that there's a whole other story we are **_not_** being told here. **_That_** is something that is still bothering me but there is nothing I can do about it. In that regard I'm at their mercy and --come to think of it-- that's not doing much for my mood either.

Well, I guess **_that_** is something I'm going to have to deal with later because, as Daniel just pointed out, we have other things to worry about right now and the sooner we take care of those things, the sooner we'll be able to focus on the day's revelations. Besides, considering what we are dealing with --and considering the fact that these people are human and therefore they are not going anywhere-- I **_really_** can't afford to get distracted here... especially because Giles is saying something.

"Getting back to the current situation regarding the Asgard, is it fair to say that at least part of your concern has to do with the fate of what you call 'the protected planets'?" he asks, not taking his eyes off of me.

"Well, yes," I admit, rather reluctantly. The truth is that I would have preferred it if he **_hadn't_** mentioned that in front of Thor but now that the cat is out of the bag there's no point in trying to deny it.

"So the way you see it an integral part of finding a solution to the Asgard's problem would have to be for us to find a way to maintain that protection?" he asks.

"Yes, " I say. "I mean, I admit that earth is my primary concern but I do realize that we wouldn't be the only ones affected. Either way, it's not going to be easy."

"That is true, however, before we go any further, I think there are a couple of questions that must be answered."

"Questions?" I ask.

"Yes. I am aware that you have been dealing with this situation for a while and that means some of our questions are likely to seem redundant to you but we just got here and as a result there are certain details we are unfamiliar with. For instance, I think the first thing we have to establish is how long do the Asgard have if they **_can't_** get access to fresh DNA," he explains, turning his attention to Thor.

"I don't know," I admit, realizing that he is **_not_** the only one who is a few answers short here.

"Not long, a few centuries... a thousand years at most but that is not certain," says Thor.

"**_A thousand_** **_years_**?" I all but yell, feeling like a fool.

"Yes," he confirms and I turn toward Giles who **_isn't_** looking anywhere near as surprised as he should.

"You knew, didn't you? Somehow you knew," I accuse him.

"I didn't **_know_**, not exactly. I did, however, suspect that the way in which the Asgard perceive time was likely to be very different from our own perception and that meant that it was possible for your sense of urgency to be somewhat unwarranted."

"But how did you know?" I insist.

"Well, Thor basically revealed that himself when he mentioned **_why_** it would be impossible for them to go back to sexual reproduction," he explains. "He made it clear that they are used to measuring their life spans in millennia so it wasn't too farfetched for me to assume that what they perceive to be an immediate threat could actually seem anything but from our perspective. The thing is that with this timeframe it should be possible for us to start working toward a solution that would hopefully make it possible for those protected planets to protect themselves long before this situation can actually become a crisis. That should take care of that problem. On the other hand that doesn't mean that there is no urgency when it comes to the need to take some steps that would ideally help the Asgard ascend. "

"Why?"

"Because from what we've seen here today, and based on what you've told us so far, it would seem that the Asgard are a race that is almost entirely focused on technology. That effectively puts them at a serious disadvantage in this particular instance because ascension is essentially a spiritual journey and that means that the leap forward that is going to be necessary for them to pull this one off is likely to be almost inconceivable. That is the real problem."

"But they have time!" I exclaim.

"I'm not sure," says Giles, shaking his head. "A thousand years may sound like a very long time from our perspective but I'm still not convinced it's going to be enough, especially because the gap the Asgard are going to have to bridge is so enormous and because their perception of time is so different from our own. Even if they **_do_** have a thousand years, what they have to do is still essentially the equivalent to a civilization going from the stone age to the space age in a single life span."

"So what are we supposed to do?"

"Unfortunately I'm not sure there's anything **_we_** can do, that is one of the main reasons why I suspect that in this instance the Nox's input will be invaluable."

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: Hi guys, I'm terribly sorry about the very long delay. What happened was that I was not willing to post another chapter I was deeply unhappy with and that pushed me off by one week and then Easter got in the way. Sorry about that, i'm hoping to be able to go back to my regularly scheduled updates now.

Thanks for reading (and for your patience),

Alec


	22. Chapter 22: And a Little Child Shall

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimes see chapter 1_**

Chapter 22: And a Little Child Shall Lead Them  
(Daniel's POV)

"That is, assuming that the Nox are willing to help," Jack points out, not sounding particularly convinced... not that I blame him. I like the Nox but I **_do_** sometimes find them a little too reluctant to get involved. Of course, maybe the fact that this **_isn't_** a battle will make all the difference.

"Help?" asks Lya.

"Yes, you see, we kind of met these people while looking for a way to help the Asgard solve their cloning problems. They have the DNA the Asgard need but are worried that if the clones have souls the Asgard would essentially be turning into something similar to the Goa'uld," explains Jack, shaking his head. "Anyway, they are not exactly on board with the whole helping the Asgard keep cloning themselves thing but they have suggested that maybe they should try for ascension instead, just like the Ancients did. The problem is that they don't really know **_how_** to help them reach that goal in the first place so we are kind of stuck."

"We would be honored to help," she says, slowly nodding her head and looking oddly pleased, though she still seems to be almost unable to take her eyes off our guests, and for some reason she seems to be particularly taken with Tara.

"So you think it can be done?" insists Jack.

"Yes. It will not be easy and we may need your help but it is possible."

"Our help?" he asks.

"Not yours, theirs," she says pointing at our guests.

"Okay, how come they can help you and we can't?"

"Because they understand... not everything but perhaps enough to bridge the gap."

"What gap?" asks Jack, though I have to admit I'm more than a little curious about that one myself.

"The one between the Nox and the Asgard."

"And that explains it exactly how?" he asks. Jack has never been the most patient man in the world and it is apparent that he is getting more than a little frustrated with Lya's half answers.

"While the Nox and the Asgard have been friends and allies for many millennia there are great differences between us and we cannot always understand each other," she explains. "In the past the Ancients and the Furlings used to mediate the gap, this time your friends may be the ones best suited to do that. They are still young but they are beginning to understand the ways of the Nox, just like they are beginning to understand the ways of the Asgard."

"And again with the whole 'young' thing," grumbles Jack.

"It is not a bad thing," says Lya before going on. "The fact that you are yet to choose a path of your own has already enabled you to do something we've been trying to do for over a thousand of your years."

"And what's that?"

"Explain to the Asgard the fact that the time has come from them to abandon their current path in terms they can understand. We attempted to do that when they first came to us, looking for a solution to their problems but we were unable to communicate our concerns," she explains.

"So even though the molecular structure of atoms can be used as the basis for a universal language, there remain certain differences that cannot be overcome, not even by relying on such a basic common ground?" I ask, feeling more than a little surprised by that particular revelation.

"Yes," says Lya, almost beaming at me.

"Atoms?" asks Willow.

"Yes, on a world we visited almost six years ago --where we first encountered a reference to the four races-- there was a sort of library with four kinds of writing in it... and a universal language based on the periodic table."

"That is fascinating!" exclaims Giles.

"Unfortunately that world was lost," I say, unable to keep the regret out of my voice. Yes, I'm grateful for the fact that I was dragged out of there literally in the nick of time but I've never been able to forget. Even after all these years I've never really stopped wondering what secrets we could possibly have uncovered if only we had found the footage that led us to Ernest and Heliopolis a couple of weeks earlier.

"The world may have been lost, but not the knowledge," says Lya and I turn to her. For years I have been mourning that lost opportunity only now she seems to be suggesting that maybe that opportunity was not lost at all!

"You have the knowledge?"

"Of course we do."

"And you'd be willing to share it?" I ask with some suspicion.

"When the time comes," she says.

"When the time comes?" I repeat, though I'm pretty sure I already know what she means.

"There are certain things you are still not ready to understand and others that could even become a threat to your very survival," she explains. "I am sure your friends understand what I mean."

I shake my head at that, still not entirely convinced even though I know she's not going to change her mind about that. I guess this whole encounter has been too much for me to assimilate in a matter of hours and --to make matters worse-- it is becoming increasingly apparent that we are going to have to establish some sort of permanent collaboration with our unexpected guests here. **_That_** can turn out to be more than a little tricky. 

For starters there is the fact that I'm not sure how receptive they are going to be to that idea. They are obviously wary of the military --and I'm not sure how comfortable we are going to be working with them either-- but apparently neither one of us is going to have much of a choice in the matter. Lya seems to be convinced that their help is necessary to help the Asgard, not to mention that they seemed to have obtained in a matter of **_minutes_** something we've been looking for for years: an opportunity to establish something closer to permanent ties with the Nox. In fact, if we are lucky, this may even turn out to be another small step toward mankind becoming the fifth race.

I'm not deluding myself, of course. I know that even if this is indeed a small step in that direction, we are still a very long way from that goal. To the Nox and the Asgard we are nothing but children and that is unlikely to change any time soon... besides --as much as I hate having to admit it-- they are probably right when they say that there is some knowledge that could easily turn out to be a danger to our survival. Whether we like it or not, the fact is that we managed to bring ourselves to the brink of extinction even **_before_** alien tech became an issue and that means that, even if we truly are on our way toward becoming the fifth race --and that is still far from certain-- there's no way that's going to happen in our lifetime.

I shake my head at that. As I told Jack, there will be time for us to worry about that later. Right now our top priority has to be to do whatever we can to help the Asgard. This is not about us and **_that_** may be the most important lesson that we take away from this whole experience... that and a group of powerful **_human_** allies.

Of course, the fact that there are bound to be some positive things coming out of this encounter doesn't make this experience any less confusing. Our certainties have been turned upside down, our relationship with some of our allies seems to have been permanently transformed in a matter of hours and I have a ton of things I'm going to have to try to sort out on my own but I can do that in my own time and that means that in a way I'm one of the lucky ones. Yes, this whole thing hasn't been easy for me but it could have been much worse... at least I'm **_not_** the one who is going to have to come up with a way to explain what's happened here to the president.


	23. Chapter 23: Hope Between a Rock and a

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 23: Hope Between a Rock and a Hard Place  
(Hammond's POV)

Okay, I have to say that this has probably been one of the weirdest days of my life and considering what I've seen in the past six years that is definitely saying something. The thing is that I'm used to weirdness coming through the gate or at least being gate related... that is not really the case here and **_that_** is bugging the heck out of me. I like my orderly weird little world and these people seem to be determined to mess it up. I mean, we are basically talking about the direct descendants of the ones who **_defeated_** the Goa'uld thousands of years ago and the ones who hold the key to the Asgard's survival, even if they are not exactly willing to go along with their original plan. That means that --regardless of how much I may want to-- I can't just kick them out of here and pretend that this meeting never happened. Of course, that doesn't even begin to take into account the fact that they pose a major security problem... I can't afford to forget about that.

This is supposed to be one of the most secret and secure bases in the world and they just popped in here, deep into the mountain, like it was nothing. It is true that we are sort of used to Thor doing the exact same thing --and we gave up on trying to keep **_him_** out a very long time ago-- but the difference is that we know that for Thor and the Asgard our secrets are meaningless. That is not the case with these people.

They are human and shaping up to be a headache bigger than any SG-1 has brought to us before... and that includes alien viruses, alien technology and maybe even the Goa'uld themselves. I mean, how the heck am I supposed to explain any of this to anyone? And how am I supposed to keep these people out of the NID's radar? That is going to be difficult, especially because if we want to get them to help us out we are going to have to earn their trust but at the same time there's no way around the fact that I **_have_** to fill the higher ups in on what's happened here today and boy, is that going to be an interesting report.

That is where things are likely to get ugly. A false move could easily trigger a war here at home --a war we wouldn't be able to escape-- and somehow I don't think we would be likely to come out on top. Unfortunately I also **_know_** there are a number of elements in the military who are likely to be too stupid to understand that... or even to recognize the threat. That is going to be a challenge.

From what I can see I would say that appearances are one of the most dangerous things when it comes to our 'guests'.

They are children and the truth is that if it weren't for Lya's reaction there's no way I would ever have believed that someone like Willow was ever on the brink of destroying the world. She looks so sweet and harmless... and what Willow can do is just what we know. That is what I have to keep reminding myself of, especially because what usually gets you is what you **_don't_** know and in this case I'm pretty sure that what we don't know is plenty.

For starters we don't know what a slayer is, not really. Sure, they mentioned that the slayer was created thousands of years ago to give mankind an edge in its fight against the Goa'uld, they described her as a champion and they explained that that legacy has been passed down from one girl to the next until it reached Buffy and Faith but just what is it that a slayer can do? I don't know. They haven't answered that question and that is just the most glaring example... especially because if the slayer is a warrior that was created specifically to fight the Goa'uld we could certainly use her help around here.

Of course, I'm not naive enough not to realize that asking them if we can borrow one now that they have two probably won't get us anywhere... even if we **_are_** fighting the enemy the slayers were originally meant to defeat.

That means that if we want their help we are going to have to think of these people as being a package deal and I get the funny feeling that if I were to allow them within ten miles of my mountain on a regular basis I could just as well kiss what passes for military discipline around here goodbye. It is true that with Jack around the difference wouldn't really be all that noticeable but at least he **_tries_** to keep up appearances... even if, regardless of what I tell him, he has a tendency to follow his gut rather than my orders. That is something I've learned to live with and appreciate, especially because it has saved our asses more than once, but somehow I get the feeling that these people have never even heard of a chain of command. In fact, if I had to guess, I would say that they fly by the seat of their pants most of the time, even if --going by the way in which they came up with an alternative plan to help the Asgard in a matter of minutes-- they **_are_** quite resourceful.

In other words, we are back where we started. We need these people and that means we have to earn their trust but at the same time I have a responsibility to the military I just can't deny. On top of that there's also the fact that --even if I were to succeed in balancing those two aspects somehow-- the changes they would bring about are not something I'm sure I'm willing to deal with. I'm a military man. I've been one for well over thirty years and that has always provided me with a sort of compass... one I'm not sure I can do without. Of course, maybe around here that compass itself is part of the problem. Yes, I've been struggling to maintain some semblance of military discipline for years but at the same time I can't help but acknowledge that more often than not the rules and regulations I am trying to enforce are ill suited for the reality of what we deal with on a daily basis. I **_know_** we need more flexibility but that doesn't mean this is an easy decision for me to make... especially because these people seem to have plenty of aces up their sleeves and trying to keep them under control is likely to be a major challenge.

We need all the help we can get --there's no denying that-- just like there's no denying the fact that they have the power to help. Unfortunately the fact that they have that power is not likely to make them any easier for me to deal with, far from it.

They are used to fighting in their terms and they are unlikely to follow orders well. That is going to be a problem. We need them but we can't have two generals, it is that simple... or it would be if they weren't bringing so much potential to the table. That is the key. The thing is that considering what we know about Willow --and depending on how this whole thing turns out-- that potential can be described as either incredibly terrifying or deeply reassuring. That is one of the main reasons why we have to be so careful here.

I guess the bottom line is that, when all is said and done, I'd much rather deal with aliens.


	24. Chapter 24: To Old Friend and New Friend

**_For news, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 24: To Old Friend and new Friends... Maybe  
(Giles's POV)

I look at the people --the beings-- around me and I instinctively know that the time for games is over. I turn toward Tara --well aware that she is the one with the most experience when it comes to reading auras-- knowing that she'll understand. She nods and then I turn to Buffy. She still seems to be somewhat reluctant but at the same time she appears almost resigned. Whether we want to or not, it seems like we've been dragged into yet another war and she knows it... and one way or another we are going to have to help the Asgard.

In that regard the compromise of helping them ascend is much better than the alternative, not to mention that it could also turn out to be a deeply enlightening experience, though that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. We are going to be mediating between two races that are far more advanced than we are and that means that more often than not we will be completely out of our depth. There is no way around that. Besides, we can't afford to fool ourselves or let our guard down.

This may be a wonderful opportunity for us but, even if it weren't, the truth is that we really don't have much of a choice. We can either help the Asgard willingly and in our own terms or run the risk that they'll try something desperate... and I suspect that no matter how powerful Willow may be, we would still have a **_very _**hard time trying to fight them off.

Considering the fact that the ones the Asgard would be coming after if we were to push them would be the slayers themselves, that is **_not_** a chance I'm willing to take.

Of course, that doesn't mean we are about to lay all of our cards on the table here, far from it. There are plenty of things these people don't really need to know about us just yet and that means we'll have to watch what we say for a while... at least until we can get a better idea of just where we stand.

One of the most important things we are keeping from them so far is what our real numbers are. They think there are only two slayers and that is not a misconception I intend to correct any time soon. It is definitely safer for us this way. Unfortunately keeping our secrets will have some unpleasant consequences because it will place some serious constraints on any possible arrangements we could make. That is far from ideal but it is still the lesser evil.

The fact that they believe there are only two slayers means that, if we can manage to come to some sort of an agreement, Buffy and Faith are going to have to be the ones working with them... and the rest of us are also going to have to stick around in some capacity, if only because they are going to need someone they can trust to watch their backs. What can I say? Our track record with the US military leaves much to be desired and as a result we are more than a little wary but at the same time that wariness does nothing to change the fact that this is indeed our war... even if it is a war we **_had_** won many thousands of years ago.

Simply put, the risk to this world from what these people are doing is too great for us to turn our backs on what's going on here, even if they do seem to have matters under control... at least for the time being.

Well, **_that_** at least is a source of some comfort. It means that we may be able to get away with a reasonably minor commitment... though I wouldn't necessarily bet on it. We are talking about the military here. They like to be in control, they like to be free to exploit and deploy every asset in 'their' arsenal as they see fit --regardless of whether that 'asset' is really theirs or not-- and somehow I don't think they would be particularly thrilled if we were to wish them luck and tell them **_not_** to call unless the Gho'aul are literally knocking on the door. That means we are going to have to come up with a working compromise we can all live with... and yes, that **_does_** mean preferably without killing each other.

The problem is that even though the military likes being in control, there's no way I'm placing the girls under their thumb. If Buffy and Faith are going to be collaborating with these people in some capacity then I'm going to have to act as a shield and our organizations are going to have to find some sort of balance that goes beyond a simple personnel exchange.

The good news is that at least this particular lot seems to be --for the most part-- fairly reasonable and open-minded. The bad news is that they are nothing but a very small part in a much bigger machine... a machine I know to be far less reasonable than they are. Sure, with a little luck we will be able to get some backing from their off-world allies --and that in itself will probably be enough to give some of their superiors pause-- but the stakes are incredibly high here and we certainly can't afford to take chances.

I am confident that, even in a worst case scenario, we **_are_** more than capable of defending ourselves from any human threat that might present itself, I just hope it won't come to that. We have enough with the things that go bump in the night, we don't need to go looking for new enemies... especially not among those we are sworn to protect. **_That_** is the real problem here.

Could we slap these people down without even breaking a sweat if they were to be foolish enough to try anything against us? Undoubtedly. Are we willing to pay the price such an action would entail? Only if there is absolutely no other way.

I wish I could say that this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship but the truth is that I don't think we are quite there just yet, not by a long shot.

THE END

* * *

**_Author's notes_**: Okay, that's it for '_In the Genes_'. I may someday go back to see how the Scoobies and the SGC are getting along but, seeing how many great crossovers between these two universes are out there already, that is far from certain. While I love the potential, the truth is that I'm not sure I have anything to add that could possibly be described as original (not to mention that having three open WIPs at the same time has been a bit much).

Thank you so much for reading (and reviewing). Your encouragement really kept me going.

Alec


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